Promise
by Bahamuts AngelVII
Summary: I love the groom! I love the man who my best friend, Aeris Gainsborough, loves, and now they're married! I’ve loved him since we were kids, since the days we fought together, since the day we met…
1. Chapter 1

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. If you like this story, read my similar one called _Blue Ocean._

**Chapter One**

Cloud and his friends sat around the huge dining table in the old mansion in Nibelheim, contemplating the scraps of old paper in front of them. They had been this way for quite awhile, since about seven that morning. It was now three in the afternoon. Cloud's eyebrows furrowed down in concentration as he mouthed the words on the paper. Tifa sat next to him, sipping her red wine as she casually looked over hers. Yuffie and Vincent sat across the table from Tifa. Yuffie tried to keep interested in her paper, but she kept sneaking looks at the clock, while Vincent stared blankly at his. Barrett and Cid, whom had gotten bored, were secretly playing a game of Poker under the table. Cait Sith, who was now just Reeve, was also deep into his paper, like Cloud. Red XIII studied the documents on the table, but his efforts were in vain. This had been going on for such a long time, they were getting bored.

"Rrrrrggh! This sucks. I'm getting so tired of this. Can't we take a break or something!" Yuffie exclaimed, exasperatingly, at Cloud. He was the one who was making them do this, after all.

"No!" Cloud replied. He slammed his hand down on the table, annoyed. _Don't they know how important this is?_ "We're so close to finding out how to bring Aeris back! Don't you guys care about her?"

Wide-eyed, Cloud's friends warily looked back down at their paper. Timidly, Tifa placed her hand on Cloud's back and rubbed it a little. He looked into her eyes, looking scared and ashamed. _He's so close to getting her back… He'll be so sad if it doesn't work. We have to try our best to help him._

"Come on, guys. You know how long we've wanted Aeris to come back…" Tifa said quietly to her friends. She turned to Cloud and patted him again, but on the arm. "And you, Cloud, we're trying our best. You can't get mad… We've been trying to solve these puzzles for hours."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, guys." Cloud flashed a weak smile at them before looking down. "How about," Cloud said, stronger. "How about we go to a restaurant for a late lunch. When we come back we can work more."

A wave of consent went throughout his friends, and they all stood up to go to the nearby café. As they walked down the steps and out the front gate, Cloud fell behind the rest of the group and motioned Tifa to come over to him.

"What is it, Cloud?" She asked.

"What if… What if it doesn't work? What if all of this is fruitless?" Cloud asked her back. He looked so gloomy.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it will. But for now, let's go eat." Tifa replied, acting happier than she really was. In truth, Tifa was worried about the same thing Cloud was worried about. _If Aeris can't come back… Cloud will lose all hope._ Tifa smiled reassuringly at Cloud before catching up to Yuffie.

"Hey, Yuffie?" Tifa called to her, jogging the last few steps to catch up. "What do you think will happen if this doesn't work?"

"Well…" Yuffie started. She coughed to clear her throat as she opened up the door to the Café. "I think what we first have to worry about is figuring out how to decipher the Ancient's scriptures first. _Then_ we can worry about if it works or not." Yuffie said with a smirk. Leave it to an immature little ninja girl to make Tifa feel like an idiot. Well, that's why she loved her.

"Haha. Yeah." Tifa agreed. Smiling, Tifa followed Yuffie into the café.

The café that they had walked into was a hoity-toity type of place with the waitresses and waiters that wore beautiful black or white dresses and Armani tuxes. It was a café in name only. It could've been a five-star restaurant owned by some million-dollar company, except that the owner, who started his "café" as an actual café, wanted it to stay that way. He did get quite rich, though.  
On the back wall, hidden behind a layer of acrylic green beads, was a door that lead to a nightclub. It was open during the day to, and was where the crew was headed. Cid nodded to the waiter that was swooping towards them with menus under his arm. Cid opened the door and walked into the dim lighting.

"So much for lunch." Cloud mumbled. He walked over to the bar, where a tired middle-aged man stood behind the counter wiping mugs. "Hey, Steve." He said while slipping into his seat.

"Oh, man. I love this place." Reeve commented as the rest of them slid into their bar stools. "Hey, how about a double shot of tequila!" Reeve shouted down the counter.

"Come on, ass wipe. It's three in the afternoon." Barrett thumped Reeve's back and tipped his glass of water to his lips. "Wait till nighttime, at least."

"Yeah, yeah. Steve, pass me a cup of coffee then. Black, no sugar, no cream." Reeve nodded in thanks as he received his steaming hot mug of coffee.

Cloud, who was sitting on the other side of Reeve, sipped his apple cider thoughtfully. _I wonder where we could go to find out about reading Cetra writing… Who would know the most about Ancients? _Cloud considered the bright neon flamingo behind the counter next to the ticking clock, which read 3:34. _Ancients… Aeris… Her mother… Ifalna… Gast. Professor Gast. He would know, he would know more than anyone… But he's dead. But he had those video tapes, and all those books. Maybe… _A swelling hope rose in Cloud's chest. He immediately hopped off his chair and banged his fist onto the dirty counter.

"Guys! We're going to Professor Gast's house!" The friends watched as Cloud disappeared out the door.

Yuffie sighed and stood up. "Well, we should follow him."

Two hours later, Cloud stood at the head of the Highwind and watched as the pilot landed the ship with ease. The group filed out of the ship and into Gast's old house.

"So, remind me, why are we here again?" Cid asked Cloud. "I'm guessin' that wasn't a joy ride."

Red XIII licked his paw and ran it over his face. "Probably to look through Gast's research and see if he knew anything about Cetra writing."

"He's right. Okay, guys, split up." Cloud said as he walked towards the shelf of videos sitting in the corner. "Tif, can you help me look through these? Cid, Barrett, go look through those tapes in that bin. The rest of you, look through those books, please." Cloud said, pointing to three giant shelves full of old and dusty books.

"Yay." Yuffie commented dryly.

"Let's get started." Red XIII said, ignoring Yuffie. "There's a lot to get through, especially if we don't want to be here by night."

For seemingly endless hours, Cloud and the gang scoured over the tapes, videos, and books, but couldn't find anything. Mostly documentaries on materia, mako, and that sort of thing. As Cloud was about to lose hope of ever figuring out the documents waiting back in the old mansion, he noticed an old tape wedged between the shelf he was looking at and the wall. It had no label, and had obviously been lost for years. _Well, there's nothing left for me to lose anyways… _Cloud popped the tape into the VCR sitting on the table next to him and watched as the TV flickered to life.  
Cloud called over his friends, and they all silently watched the image on the screen. There was Aeris as a little baby, and Ifalna. Gast seemed to be taping the whole thing. In the corner was the date. Cloud recognized the date as three days before Hojo burst into their lives.

"Honey, put the camera away." Ifalna said, annoyed. She flapped away the oncoming Gast with one of her hands as she sang to Aeris, who was crying.

"No, I need to tape our moments of little Aeris. She's so cute!" Gast remarked, still filming. After a few moments of just Ifalna's singing, Gast started talking again. "What language is that?"

"Cetra. I learned it long ago, from my grandparents." Ifalna replied. She seemed to deflate a little, talking about her now dead family. "It's a very curious song." She murmured.

"Oh? How does it go?" Gast asked.

"Well, the translation is a little fuzzy, but it goes something like…" Ifalna started singing and mumbling the song. "Treasure what you've always dreamed of, my little one. Even when the one you love is gone, there's always a way to bring them back. Even when you thought all was lost, if you let the light guide your way… The shining paths will guide you to the heavens, where you will find the ancient tombs of the Gods. Bring the jewels of the sea, the stones of the mountains, and the tears of the air to her resting place…" Ifalna let out a small laugh. "The rest doesn't translate too well. Anyway…"

"Wait, wait, wait. What kind of song is that? Seems more like directions to something, if you know what I mean." Gast said, sounding put off.

"Honey…" Ifalna sighed set Aeris down in her crib, who let out a cheerful giggle. Ifalna tucked her hair behind her ears, and when she did she looked a lot like Aeris. Only her face looked a little older, and a little wiser. She sat down at the table and looked at her husband. "Please don't let this get out, because this is the secret pride of us Cetra. The hymn is just a song, remade out of the steps you can take to resurrect a Cetra."

"You can bring back a dead Cetra!" Gast shook with surprise and there was an obvious note of thrill in his voice. "Please go on." He said, suddenly sounding much more business-like.

"The song is just a way for us to remember. Yes, you can bring back a Cetra. You see, we have a little bit of lifestream running through us, as well as a special substance that runs through our veins. It allows us to hold onto this world, and if the right steps are taken, we can come back from our endless roaming around the planet. The song I sang showed all the steps…" Ifalna paused. "Come on, let's get some lunch." She spun around and flashed one last smile at the camera. The image diminished and paused, leaving her smiling face on the T.V.

The crew stood in silence for awhile, awed by what they had seen. Yuffie let out a little whimper. Cloud turned around with tears in his eyes. He was the first to speak.

"Well, now we know how to bring her back."

**A/N: **Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. If you like this story, read my similar one called _Blue Ocean.  
_Please review! I love getting them.

**Chapter Two**

Feeling a bit dazed, Tifa followed a few steps behind the rest of her friends. It wasn't like Tifa didn't want Aeris to come back. Of course she did. Aeris was one of her best friends. She held nothing against Aeris, but... _Cloud and Aeris… She's always had his heart… Well, ever since the day I met Aeris, I knew that they were meant to be together. Even Cait Sith's fortune of how compatible they were_. Tifa was broken out of her reverie by Yuffie.

"Hey, Tifa! Come on!" Yuffie called to Tifa from the deck next to the ladder. Tifa was unaware that she stopped in the middle of the snowfield, and was now staring blankly at the ocean. Without response to Yuffie's calls, Tifa shuffled through the cold to the Highwind. "Tifa? What's wrong?" Barrett asked.

Tifa and Barrett waited until the rest of them went up and into the ship, while the two of them stayed down on the lower deck. She rested her head on the closed door and waited until the Highwind had fully risen and was now well on it's way to Nibelheim.

"Barrett… You know how I feel about Cloud…" Tifa sighed. She walked to the rail and leaned overand watched as the ground sped under her. "When Aeris comes back… I mean, I know this sounds really bad, but I love him! I love Aeris too, but…"

"Ohhh, Tifa." Barrett stroked her head and joined her leaning over the railing. "You know Cloud will always love you, and he loves Aeris. Tifa… I really have no idea what to say, and I'm not going to tell you how to handle this. Tifa, you're my best friend, no doubt, but sometimes you just gotta figure out things on your own."

The two stood quietly, letting the rush of the ship make up for conversation. Listening to the whistling in her ears, Tifa stood in thought. She grinned and looked over to Barrett.

"You're right. You're always right." Tifa smiled gratefully at Barrett and turned to open the door that lead upstairs. "Thanks, Barrett. We should go join them now. I can't wait to see Aeris."

Barrett nodded and together they made their way up the stairs and into the main deck where all of their friends were crowded around, discussing their recent findings. The group silenced as Barrett and Tifa approached, but then opened up the group to let their friends in.

"So, what'd we miss?" Tifa asked, still smiling.

"Well… We were talking about the song that Ifalna sang… The line where it said 'Bring the jewels of the sea, the stones of the mountains, and the tears of the air to her resting place…' That's probably something." Red XIII replied nonchalantly. He licked his paws and combed his hair with it.

"The song is all well and good, but what do we do with those Ancient Scripts back at the mansion? What do you think that will tell us, then?" Vincent said sensibly. "They must do something."

"Yeah… We can figure that out later. What's important now is finding those 'jewels of the sea', or whatever." Reeve interjected. "Isn't that right?"

The group agreed, and the next destination for them was to be Junon Harbor. Their old submarine was still parked there, and if they were going to find something in the ocean, they would definitely need that sub.

Tifa and Cloud stood side by side as they watched the Highwind make its way towards the port city. Cloud heaved a sigh and rested his head on Tifa's shoulder. She straightened up immediately and rested her head on Cloud's. It was a cute thing that they had grown accustomed to doing. It didn't mean anything, it was just comforting.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked quietly. "You suddenly seem sad…"

"I'm scared that this resurrection won't work on Aeris. She's only half Cetra… And everything seems so far fetched. What if all of this is pointless? There would be no point for me to…" Cloud's whole body shook. A few moments of silence ensued before Cloud picked himself up and smiled at Tifa wearily. "Never mind. I hope we'll be able to find those jewels!" He exclaimed half-heartedly.

"Hey, we're here!" Tifa heard Yuffie shout from her right. "Come on, come on! Let's go!" Yuffie jumped off the side of the deck and ran as fast as her skinny legs would take her.

Excited, the rest of the team follows Yuffie's footsteps and clambered into the submarine. Cid took the controls as Tifa and Cloud took the secondary positions. Yuffie was left in her own little corner, trying not to throw up. Tifa could hear her talking to Reeve, saying how even though she _hated_ being in a submarine, she would endure it just to see Aeris come back. Red and Vincent sat in the corner discussing something private, and Barrett nervously pranced around.

"Before we take off, we have to know how we'll find these damn jewels." Cid lit a joint and pointed at Red, and then at Reeve. "Hey, if anyone's gonna know, it'll be you two so give me some information already!"

"I have no idea, sorry." Red said quietly from the corner. "Yeah, me neither. I guess we'll just have to go around the bottom looking for things. I'd suggest that crater over there, though. And check for caves. Remember we found that music box key in a hidden cave?" Reeve said.

"Shit. We have no nothing to go on… Ah well, let's start with that crater over there, then." Cid mumbled angrily, puffing on his joint.

"I don't think Cid should be getting high while he's driving a submarine…" Cloud mumbled to Tifa. She laughed, but was silenced by the already red-eyed glare of Cid. Still giggling, they both sat back in their seats.

After eyeing Cid carefully, the rest of the crew, except Yuffie, watched the two overhead screens as they sputtered to life. One screen showed heat sensors, and the other was a normal visual. There was a third screen that showed a physical map of the region they were in, but they didn't pay much attention.

"Right, so do you think that these jewels will have any heat source? Or do you think we'll just have to look at the second monitor?" Barrett asked no one in particular. "Well?"

"Uhh…" Tifa said. "We can't really know for sure. Maybe we should just keep an eye out for heated things then."

"Yeah, I agree." Cloud replied, flashing a quick grin at Tifa. "What's that?" Cloud pointed at the first screen, and everyone followed the point of his finger. There were three red, pendant shaped items resting at the bottom of the crater on the ocean floor. Orange, blue, and yellow… heat sensors went off. "It looks as if the item is emitting heat as it sits on the floor." Cloud observed.

"No shit, Sherlock." Barrett remarked. "Well? Are we gonna check it out or what?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to get a better visual image by moving in closer." Cid said absently, his mind on the control panel in front of him. "If it is what we're looking for, we can capture it in the hatch up above."

As Cid zoomed in on the object sitting in the bottom of the crater, Cloud craned his neck to get a better view of the object on the physical screen. He watched the pendant as Cid glided in closer and closer to it. Just as he reached it, the alarm went off next to Cid. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember what the alarm meant.

"Oh, shit." Cid exclaimed, breathily. "The pressure is too high for us to continue down." He glanced up at his friends. "What should we do?"

"Doesn't this submarine have two highly-pressurized suits sitting in the hatch?" Reeve asked from the corner. "Maybe we could try those."

"Well… Who would use them?" Barrett asked. The crew glanced around at each other. Yuffie shrugged and said, "Well, Red and I can't. I'm sea sick and Red really wouldn't fit. Neither would you, Tubby." Yuffie laughed at her own stupid joke and punched Barrett in the stomach, before clutching her own in pain. "Arghh… I think Tifa and Cloud should go…" Yuffie mentioned, and then ran away to the bathroom.

"Okay, I think that sounds good." Cloud smiled at Tifa and walked to the door Yuffie had just run through. "Watch us on the screen; use the transmitter to tell us where to go. If something bad happens… Don't be afraid to just leave."

"Oh, come on, Cloud, nothing bad will happen. Let's just get this fucker over with." Cid commented from his seat. "JUST GO!" He shouted, angry.

"I thought joints were supposed to mell—" "SHUT UP!" Reeve was interrupted by the glaring, red-eyed Cid, once again.

Laughing, Tifa and Cloud scaled the ladder to the hatch and began to put on the wetsuits. Tifa adjusted her air tank and double checked Cloud's while he tested the transmitter. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

Cloud's voice rang in loud and clear in the main section of the submarine. Barrett pressed a glowing yellow button and said, "Yeah, we gotcha."

"Alright." Cloud said at the other end. "We're going to go out, okay? Watch us on the screen." With a click, Cloud hung up the transmitter and nodded at Tifa. She replied by smiling back.

Securing his helmet, Cloud pushed the button that released the doors holding out the sea water. As the water poured in the hatch that was separated by a thin layer of glass above him, Cloud waited until it finished. He then opened the glass doors and together they swam out.

Tifa was elated to be in the deep ocean. She enjoyed the swirling sensation of the water as her hair floated out and the cold water felt refreshing on her skin. She watched Cloud's spiky hair still stay afloat. _This is wonderful… _Tifa and Cloud swam down into the crater, watching the submarine out of the corner of their eyes.

"Hey, how close are we?" Tifa asked into her transmitter. Cloud watched her as she talked to Barrett on the other end of the line. _She really _is _beautiful… _Tifa caught his eye right as he smiled unconsciously at her. Blushing, she turned away and continued to talk.

"You're only sixteen feet away from the pendants. Can't you see it from here?" Barrett asked. "No, it's just complete darkness down here." Tifa commented back. "Cloud and I will check it out. I'll report back in five." "Hello? Cloud can you hear me?" Tifa asked again, this time connecting to Cloud.

He snapped back to attention and swam over to her. "Yeah? What did they say?" "They said that they're only sixteen feet down… It's really dark, but we should definitely get down there." Cloud nodded his head at her and grabbed at her hand. She let him lead her down into the darkness of the crater.

The darkness surrounded Cloud and Tifa, and an uneasy aura seemed to emit from the dark empty pit. Suddenly, they were both surrounded by a bright white light. Tifa screamed in surprise, and it was followed by the worried shouts from the crew back in the submarine. The transmitter went out, and suddenly Cloud and Tifa were standing on circular pillar in the middle of a vast, sparkling lake. Behind them, the ocean was visible. But in front of them, more pillars led up and up, into what seemed to be a grand castle.

They removed their swimming equipment and left it at the entrance, and placed a seal on them using materia, just in case anyone, or anything, decided they wanted to take their stuff. Still holding hands, they took a step up the pillar, their footsteps echoing.

"… Should we go?" Tifa asked. "Yeah. Let's go." Cloud replied. He squeezed her hand tightly and took another step, listening to the echo of his step. When Tifa didn't move, he looked back with concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm scared…" Tifa replied. "I mean, I know it's stupid… There's probably nothing that's gonna be bad but… I just have a terrible feeling." Confused, Cloud stepped back. _All I feel is serenity… I feel like Aeris is here with us. I wonder what's wrong with Tifa._ He squeezed her hand once again, and put his other hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Tif. Even if something is wrong… I'll protect you. I'm your knight in shining armor, remember? Now let's go."

This is why Tifa loved him so much. He was charming, even though he was somewhat reserved. He knew how to make Tifa fall in love with him all over again, each and every day. This was also why Tifa resented him so much. She didn't like how her heart throbbed with pain every time she saw Cloud's eyes sparkle at the mention of Aeris. Even so, she knew how much Cloud wanted to be reunited with his one love. She had to make sure that would happen. She would never forgive herself if somehow this didn't work.

While Tifa was thinking about all this, Cloud led her up the steps and now the castle stood directly in front of them. After a quick and nervous look at each other, they both pushed open the doors, waiting to see what would be behind them. Tifa gasped in dismay, and Cloud let out a small "Oh." Behind the double doors were people. Cetra, to be exact. They weren't moving at all. They stood stone still, and the inside of the castle was covered with great green vines that wrapped around the doors and ensnared the Cetra.

Cloud led the way, trying to portray confidence to keep Tifa from being too frightened. They approached the nearest Cetra. It was a young girl, maybe the age sixteen or seventeen. She had bright green eyes and cascading black hair. She had fair skin, and she looked like she must've once been a very kind and lovely girl. She was standing in the corner, alone, under the balcony that wrapped around the second floor of the castle. One frozen tear was on her cheek, the other right under her eye. She seemed to be staring with sadness at something behind them. Cloud and Tifa looked over their shoulder, and saw two people. A girl with brown eyes and long brown hair was in an embrace with a taller boy with blond hair and blue eyes. They looked very happy together. Tifa looked back and forth between the couple and the lone girl and felt extremely sad for her. She knew how she must've felt.

Cloud had already moved on and was looking at an older woman, who seemed to be in her mid-thirties. She had her hands over a glowing object, the only thing that brought light to the dreary castle. He slowly reached under her hands to take out the object. He was sure it was the pendant they were all looking for. As he closed his fist around the object, he looked back to find Tifa still staring at the three people.

"These people…" Her voice echoed, "What happened? Wh-what could've caused this?" Tifa wondered aloud. "They did nothing to deserve such a curse…" She took a few steps backwards and covered her eyes. "I… I don't want to see this."

"Tifa…" Cloud picked up the pendant and walked over to her. "Look." He opened his palm to show Tifa the pendant. Tifa smiled wearily at it and took it from Cloud. "It's so beautiful." The two stood in silence for awhile, entranced by the magical stone in Tifa's hands.

"Hmm…" Cloud broke the silence. "I wonder why there would be such a big castle just for this stone. And how many pendants are there? It never specified in the song." Tifa shrugged and tucked the glowing item away. Suddenly the castle seemed gloomy like a haunted house. "Well, there's no hurt in looking."

Together, Tifa and Cloud walked up the winding staircase to the overhead balcony above the lone girl. The door that they faced was covered in thick vines. Across the hall was a second door covered with vines. Silently, Tifa used fire to get rid of the vines, and then gingerly opened the door. It swung off its hinges and hit the floor with a clatter. A second jewel stood in the middle of the room, but this time it was a shimmering dark blue color. It looked like the ocean.

_How beautiful… _Tifa reached out and swept the pendant off the dust-covered pillow it laid on. She once again put it in her pocket and with Cloud made their way over to the other vine-covered door across the foyer. Once again they opened the door and looked at the pillow with the pendant. This one glowed a light blue color. Tifa suddenly felt faint.

Collapsing to her knees, she buried her face in her hands. Cloud rushed over and put a hand on her back.

"Tifa, what's wrong?" He asked. She looked at him and suddenly felt better. "I… I'm okay. Sorry…"

Tifa stood up and wiped away Cloud's hand. Another woman was standing over this bright pendant, and as Tifa put her hands under to take it out, she was suddenly constricted. The woman was holding onto her hands with unnatural power. She had no pupils. Her face was taut with anger and rage. She was not a Cetra… Not anymore.

Tifa screamed and tried to pull away, but as she did, more Cetra appeared out of the shadows. Cloud was paralyzed with fear; he didn't know what to do. The Cetra grabbed at Tifa's feet and held her. She couldn't move. They began speaking and screaming all at once. The woman that had her hands over the pendant stuck out the most.

"You will not take the Cetra's pride and treasure. Your greedy God will not take what it wants…"

"What God! What are you talking about!" Tifa screamed. Tifa could see Cloud standing numb in the corner. What was going on?

"JENOVA." The Cetra's chanted, over and over.

"No! We destroyed Jenova! We're not on Jenova's side! We're trying to get Aeris back!" Tifa called.

At the mention of Aeris, Cloud snapped back to attention. He had to save Tifa… Cloud took out his sword and slashed at the Cetra. _I'm sorry… _They fell apart, and Tifa fell down to the ground too. Cloud wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't come to you sooner…"

The two sat in silence for awhile, just holding each other. Then Tifa stood up and put the jewel in her pocket. She sadly smiled at Cloud before turning to walk out of the room.

"There are no more doors. We can leave." She said. "Come on, Cloud."

The two walked out of the castle and down the steps silently. It echoed and kept going. When they reached the shining crater that went back to the ocean, they put on their wetsuits and their oxygen tanks. They swam out together and back to the submarine, the three jewels shining in Tifa's pockets. They entered the hatch and didn't speak one word. When they finally arrived back in the main area, they found all their friends wide-eyed and scared.

"Where were you?" Yuffie cried out. She ran over and gave both Tifa and Cloud a big hug. "You frightened us so much!"

"Did you get the pendants?" Reeve called out.

"Yeah!" Tifa exclaimed and pulled out the three shiny jewels. "There you go!" She smiled and plopped them into Reeve's hands. The friends murmured, impressed, before falling quiet.

"Well… Where do we go now? We have the 'jewels of the sea'… Now we need to find the stones of the mountains?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah. Where would we go for _that_?" Barrett asked. "We'll think about it when we get back on the Highwind." Cid said from behind them. He started to pilot the submarine back to the surface of the ocean to dock at Junon Harbor.

**Four Hours Later**

Cloud and his friends piled out of the Highwind and onto the mountainside. This was the fifth place they had looked, and they were getting tired. It was late in the night and the cold air whipped around the crew. Yuffie's teeth chattered and she warmed herself up by cuddling next to Red.

"Come on! This is the last place we're going to look, okay!" Cloud called over from his post ten feet away. They had to yell to understand each other. "Nibelheim mountain works doesn't it!" He asked again.

"Yeah, whatever!" Tifa called. The team looked around the mountain, their only light coming from the stars and the moon. There had to be some kind of cave. It seemed that the Cetra had a liking for caves and craters.

They searched quietly, focusing on trying to find some place that would shelter them, and the three pendants. Finally, from the distance, they heard a shout coming from Cid. He had found a cave. They all scurried over and into the cave, glad to be free from the fierce winds. Three shining lights, red, orange, and yellow sat on three different pillars.

Cloud took the three stones without incident and they all returned to the ship. Feeling slightly strange, Tifa trailed behind them. _Why was this so easy…? _She shook her head and kept following the group. She walked into the Highwind, her face blank. She suddenly felt like she had to cry.

_What's going to happen to me when this is all over? Will I just be another friend? I know Cloud is always going to love her but… I don't want her to take him away again… _Tifa pinched herself for thinking such mean thoughts. She should've been happy for Cloud. Not mad. If she wasn't supposed to be with Cloud, then she would just have to be happy for him.

**Ten Minutes Later**

Tifa lay in the comfort of her bed, listening to the tick-tock of the clock. In the bed next to her, Yuffie rolled around, her many stuffed animals falling off the bed as she moved. She fell asleep watching Yuffie throw her arms out into the air.

**Dream**

_Tifa stood in a vast field of grass, which stretched for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see. She was looking for something. In the distance she saw a figure._

_Cloud? Is that you?_

_Yes._

_Cloud suddenly appeared before Tifa and smiled. He brought her into an embrace._

_I've been searching for you for such a long time. Our friends… We went through a very long journey to bring you back. I love you._

_Oh, Cloud. You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that._

_I love you, Tifa._

_I love you too, Cloud._

_Cloud and Tifa were about to kiss, but suddenly they were interrupted._

_CLOUD!_

_They both looked._

_Aeris! Aeris!_

_Cloud let go of Tifa immediately and ran to Aeris. He kissed her on the lips and hugged her. He started to cry._

_I love you, Aeris. I love you more than anybody in the whole world. Please, please… I love you. Don't ever leave me again._

_I love you too. And I'll never leave. I love you too much._

_And Tifa stood in the middle of the field, crying. But the happy couple took no notice. She was just like the girl back in the castle._

**Dream End**

Tifa woke up with a sweat. She felt tears streaming down her face. _What's wrong with me! Well, I guess this just shows that they really are meant to be. I'm going to try my best to make Cloud's dreams come true. _Suddenly, Cloud burst into the room, jerking Yuffie awake. Tifa sat up in her bed and reached her arms out to Cloud. _What the hell am I doing? _Cloud hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He then sat excitedly on the bed.

"Guess what!"

"Hmm?" Tifa asked.

"I found the last jewels!" He exclaimed. _Nothing will keep me from Aeris now. I promise. I'll find you. _"Wow!" Yuffie cried from her corner. "That is SO awesome! I'm so glad you woke me up for that! I mean this news can't wait till, oh, I don't know… MORNING!" Sarcastic dripped from her words.

"Oh, quite you. But you, Cloud! You went without us!" Tifa hit him playfully. "Why didn't you get us to come?"

"Well I came in to see if you wanted to, but you looked so cute sleeping… I didn't want to wake you. But now that you're awake… We can go get Aeris!" He hugged Tifa again.

"Yay!" Yuffie exclaimed. She got up and marched out of the room, intent on waking up the rest of the party. She could be heard banging and clattering down the big hallway of the mansion. "WAKE UP!" Yuffie screamed in the direction of Barrett's room. A big boom was heard, and for a moment flames licked around the doorway.

"Oh, shit!" Tifa heard Barrett distinctly yell, before a very long list of swear words and words she had never heard of spewed out of his mouth. Yuffie ran by the doorway, giggling.

"I can't wait." Tifa said. "Let's go get her…"

Tifa and Cloud walked out of the mansion together, both thinking hard. Tifa knew that she should've seen this coming. Tifa figured that she was destined to be the forgotten girl, and that's how it was always going to be.

**A/N:** Yeah, you're yelling at me: "That was a whole load of nothing! You suck!" And I agree but I gotta build up the tension… And trust me, a big load of drama is coming soon! Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. If you like this story, read my similar one called _Blue Ocean.  
_Please review! I love getting them.

**Chapter Three**

The friends stood in the entryway to the City of the Ancients. Cloud and his friends walked through the center to the shimmering lake. From where they were standing, Cloud could see Aeris' dim figure lying peacefully at the bottom of the lake. Her body had not deteriorated; it may have been in her, or maybe the lake had healing powers. Cloud was afraid to get any closer. He was afraid to see his love, but afraid not to. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. But he did.

Cloud walked up to the edge of the lake, leaving his friends behind. He started to step into the lake, letting the refreshing water surround him. He then dived down towards the bottom, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. He touched her skin, which was cold as ice. He opened her emerald green eyes to see their chilling look staring back at him. A shiver was sent down his spine. He lifted her up. _I can't wait to see you alive… _He swam up with a swell in his chest. He was going to be reunited with her. His only love. God, was she beautiful. Her gorgeous eyes had a way of melting anyone's heart, and her face was always open and inviting.

As Cloud's head broke the surface, Tifa couldn't help but cry. She wasn't sure what for; was she sad to see her childhood sweetheart fall in love with someone else? Or was she happy to see her old best friend. Or maybe Tifa knew, whether or not she ever got to tell Cloud how she felt, she would somehow always be happy for them. As long as Cloud was happy, everything would be okay…

Silently the group walked towards the altar, where the blood still stained the walkways and the light still shimmered exactly where she had knelt to pray for the world. Everyone but Cloud stayed behind, watching as Cloud carried Aeris up to the altar. The nine jewels shimmered in his pocket. He couldn't wait until she came back.

_How does he know what to do?_ The murmur went through the group. _I don't know. Maybe he just has that feeling… _They nodded and silenced. They watched him. Cloud laid out the nine pendants in order of color. They waited.

_No, no, no, no! _Nothing happened. _No! This can't be happening… She has to come back! _Cloud looked around, panicked. He was about to rearrange the stones when the light that shone on Aeris' body grew extremely bright. The stones turned a blinding white light and rose a few feet in the air. They swirled around for a few moments before joining together. It was truly magnificent. The groups' jaws were dropped in admiration. The pendants turned a misty blue before becoming steady. Then it slowly lowered onto Aeris' chest, and then disappeared without a trace. The light dimmed again, and everything went back to normal.

The silence was deafening. Every second seemed to crawl by.

"H-huh? Where am I? What? How did I get here…?" Aeris sluggishly rose from her spot where she lay.

A gasp ran through Cloud and his friends. They all rushed to kiss and hug Aeris. Cloud was there first. He kissed her on the lips and held her. The rest tried to hug her, but Cloud refused to let go. He loved her, and she loved him.

"Aeris! I love you, I love you! We brought you back! We searched so hard…" Cloud picked her up and kissed her. She giggled and blushed. She was so surprised. She missed her friends. "How many years has it been?" She asked. She kissed everyone in succession.

"Three years," Aeris and Tifa kissed cheek to cheek. "We've missed you so much." Tifa smiled her brightest smile before letting Aeris plant a kiss on Cid.

They quieted, down, not sure what to do next. Yuffie unsurely glanced at Tifa before turning back to Aeris.

"Let's party!" Yuffie exclaimed, "There's no better way to celebrate Aeris coming back." She smiled benignly at everyone before leaping down the blood stained circular steps. They all followed her, laughing and joking, with Cloud's arm snaked around Aeris' waist. Tifa watched on, forlorn. _And already, I'm forgotten… _Cloud never glanced at Tifa, but only had time for whispering sweet things to Aeris and making her giggle. Tifa stopped for a second, unnoticed by anyone. She whipped around and straightened out her clothes, smoothed her hair, and wiped all of the tears from her eyes.

**One Hour Later**

The mansion was a crowded abyss of people, talking, laughing, and stealing glances at Aeris and Cloud. Everyone was there. Shera, Elmyra, Bugenhagen, all their old friends that they met on their journey. Little Marlene held onto Aeris as she made her way around the party. Tifa looked on from her little corner where she sat with her childhood friend, Johnny. _Even Marlene likes Aeris more… _She turned away from the crowd and smiled at Johnny. They talked for a long time, not noticing the time passing. They were brought out of their private little conversation by Cloud. He stooped low and whispered in Tifa's ear.

"Everyone is leaving. Come say good-bye…" He lingered for a few moments before standing up to see the guests out. Tifa smiled again at Johnny. "Everybody is leaving."

"Oh, I have to go too. I didn't realize what time it was, I guess." Johnny stood up, followed by Tifa. He kissed her on the cheek before turning to join the crowd by the front doors. "I'll see you soon." He murmured. "I had a great time. It was so good to see you again…" He hovered close to her lips before briskly turning around. "Bye!" He shouted, much more cheerfully. Tifa watched him go. "Bye…" She said quietly. She watched as Aeris and Cloud closed the doors before retreating up the staircase.

Cloud turned around and looked, for a moment, worried, for Tifa. But then Aeris said something to him, and he turned around without glancing back. She stood alone in the hallway, spacing out at the stairs where the couple just walked. She then followed suit and went into her room, where she found Aeris sitting on her bed. Surprised, Tifa walked over and sat next to her, glancing at Yuffie's empty bed.

"Yuffie is playing video games with Reeve and Cid." Aeris seemed to read her mind. "She won't be back for awhile. I just wanted to talk with you." She smiled at Tifa sweetly. "How have things been around here lately?" Aeris asked. Tifa knew she was just warming up to the big question: Did anything happen between her and Cloud?

"Fine… We searched so long for you! It was crazy… At first, Cloud and I lived together here in the mansion." Tifa noticed Aeris' face tense up a bit, but then relax. "Yuffie, Barrett, Cid… The others went back home. But when Cloud found the manuscripts written in your language, he called us all back here…"

"Really? You guys are so sweet!" Aeris kissed Tifa on the cheek and went back to normal. "How about the love lives? Anybody hook up?"

"Well, Yuffie and Reno seemed to take quite fondly to each other about a year after Midgar was destroyed. We don't see him around much, but they do really love each other." Tifa smiled to herself. "Shera and Cid got married. That's basically it I think…" Tifa knew what was coming next…

"What about Cloud? And you?" Aeris questioned, "Did anything happen between you guys?" "No… Not really." Tifa said. "What? There must've been something!" Aeris persisted.

"Oh, come on, Cloud and I aren't like that!" Tifa exclaimed, pretending to be offended. "You and Cloud are a couple!" She was good at hiding her true feelings. She gave herself that.

Aeris smiled in a relieved way. "Okay. I'm going to go to sleep now. I'm gonna find Cloud and ask him where I should stay. Good night, Tifa." Aeris wasn't that subtle, Tifa decided.

She reclined back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling thinking, but was interrupted a few seconds later by both Cloud and Aeris. She sat up right and blinked a few times. _Oh no…_

"Hey, Tifa. Aeris doesn't have a bed to sleep in yet, so she's going to sleep on the floor in here okay?" Cloud half asked, half stated. Tifa sent him a dazzling, but fake, smile. "No, I'll sleep on the couch downstairs. She can sleep in my bed.

"Are you sure, Tifa?" Aeris asked. She put a hand on Tifa's shoulder. "I don't want to kick you out, or anything." "No, no. You sleep here. I'll just get my stuff." Tifa picked up a roll of clothing on the floor and walked to the door. "Sweet dreams." She said to both of them before walking away.

"Something's wrong with Tifa." Aeris declared. "How do you know?" Cloud asked. "Something's just not right. I wonder what the matter is." She replied. "I bet it's nothing. Good night." Cloud said, walking Aeris over to her bed. She sat down, pouting. "Oh, don't go." She patted the bed next to her. "Come on, sit."

Aeris lay down and patted the bed again. "Sit." She murmured. Cloud did, and by the time he looked at Aeris again, she was sleeping soundly. He looked at her face. He was so happy. She was back.

Tifa stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water over her body. She thought about Cloud and Aeris. _Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? I don't want to be here… I want Cloud to be happy but I can't take that much…_

Cloud walked by the bathroom door just as Tifa started singing. The steam rolled out from under the door, smelling like lavender and roses. Cloud stopped. He took in the scent and was filled with nostalgia. For a moment, he felt like he wanted to wrap his arms around Tifa and kiss and hug her. But then Aeris appeared from around the corner. She hadn't been asleep after all. Aeris kissed Cloud, leaving his thoughts of Tifa behind. He smiled down at her, and he couldn't have been happier.

Tifa opened the bathroom door to find Aeris and Cloud kissing in front of her. They heard the door open and stopped at once. Talk about awkward. Tifa smiled weakly before dashing off down the stairs, dressed in her sweats and her tank top. She unfurled a sleeping bag and put it on the couch next to the windows. She fell asleep, her thoughts of Aeris and Cloud whisked away.

**The Next Morning**

Tifa woke up, surprised. She had forgotten that she was in a sleeping bag on the couch in the foyer. Everything came back to her, and once again she felt gloomy. She groggily got up off the couch, but she fell off and got entangled in her sleeping back. She kicked childishly until she got free, and then stood up and glanced at the clock, which read: 10:40. _Hmm… I wonder if anyone is awake yet._ Tifa walked upstairs and went into her room first, to find Yuffie's bed still empty, and Aeris sleeping peacefully. She closed the door and went down the hall further to Cid and Barrett's room, where she found Red and Yuffie cuddled together on the floor. She hesitantly reached for Cloud's doorknob, where he slept alone. She still opened the door anyway.

Cloud was sleeping in his bed, wearing only boxers. Tifa blushed before leaving. She wished she could go and cuddle with him, but he wasn't hers to have. He belonged to Aeris.

Tifa quietly slipped downstairs to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She opened a box of cereal and opened the cabinet to get a bowl, but unsurprisingly, there were none left. _Seems like Barrett forgot to do the dishes again…_ Tifa picked out the most clean looking bowl in the sink and scrubbed it down. She then rinsed it off and dried it before filling it up with Fruit Loops. She sat at the kitchen counter, alone, and ate her cereal. She was surprised when she heard someone's footsteps. She turned to find Aeris, smiling sweetly, at her. _Doesn't that girl ever get tired? _Tifa smiled back and pulled out a chair.

"Cereal?" Tifa asked.

"No, I'm okay." Aeris sat down. "I know I've asked already, but can you tell me more about what's happened while I was gone? Tell me all your tales and adventures!"

"Sure." Tifa could do this. Aeris was one of her best friends. "Let's go sit on the couch first." Tifa rinsed out her bowl and lead Aeris into the TV room, where video games, DVDs, and many odd things lay around the room. Tifa sat on the leather couch and motioned for Aeris to do the same. The bright morning light shone down on them from the window on the ceiling.

"What would you like to know?" Tifa asked.

"Tell me what it was like right after you guys killed Sephiroth." Aeris said.

Tifa paused. Cloud and Tifa had shared such a special moment afterwards; it was hard to relive the moment. She could just leave it out, she decided.

"Well…" Tifa went on to explain the few days after Sephiroth, explaining how the world had celebrated. She stopped when she got to the part with her and Cloud.

**Flashback**

Tifa and Cloud sat alone in the mansion backyard. The sun was setting. Together, they sat on the grass watching the sunset as it streaked across the horizon. Tifa watched the suns' rays arched out, setting the clouds on fire and lighting up the sky. If she tilted her head back far enough, she could see the stars and the moon that started to come up. She smiled.

"Cloud, what are we going to do now?" She asked. Cloud sat next to her, staring up at the same sky.

"I don't know… Just hang out I guess." He smiled shyly at her. She smiled back. "What about… Aeris?" She asked. This was a touchy subject, she knew. But just maybe she could get him to open up.

"Aeris… Aeris," Cloud began. "I love her, you know?" He asked. Tifa nodded, feeling her smile slip away. "I'd give anything to bring her back…"

"I know." Tifa said. And she didn't have to say anything else. Cloud put his arm around her, and she leaned on his shoulder.

"Cloud…" She whispered.

"What is it?"

"I…" _I can say it…_ "I…" _No, I can't… _"You're my best friend."

They sat silently for a few moments. "I know, Tifa. And you're my best friend." Cloud kissed her lightly on the mouth before turning his attention back to the sky. "And I love you."

Cloud had only meant it as in he loved her as a best friend, and that's how Tifa took it. But she couldn't help but wishing that he meant he loved her like a girlfriend. She would just have to deal.

"Cloud… You remember our promise, right?" Tifa asked.

"Of course."

"You know… You don't have to protect me anymore." Tifa said. He had told her a few days ago that he wanted to live with her to keep her safe. "You were a good knight in shining armor while it lasted, though."

"I'll always be your knight in shining armor, Tifa. Don't ever forget that."

**End Flashback**

**A/N: **Aww, how cliché. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. If you like this story, read my similar one called _Blue Ocean.  
_Please review! I love getting them.

**Chapter Four**

Tifa lay quietly on her bed. She listened to the giggling of Cloud and Aeris and the rest of her friends as they watched a movie in the other room. She faked sickness. Even though she loved Aeris and Cloud, she wasn't really ready to see them acting like a happy couple. She couldn't deal with it yet. She stared at the ceiling, almost willing the tears to come. Maybe, she thought, if she cried, she would feel a tiny bit better. But she doubted it. Tifa let her body relax into the down comforter when she heard the door creek open. _Please don't let it be Cloud and Aeris… _She turned and sighed in relief. It was Yuffie.

Yuffie bounded in and locked the door behind her. She bounced noisily onto her own bed and settled in comfortably before she started to talk.

"I know you aren't sick, Tifa. What's up?" Yuffie asked. She was pretty sure she knew what it was all about, though. _Poor, poor Tifa…_

"… I think you know." Tifa mumbled half-heartedly. "Cloud and Aeris… How come… How come I'm not good enough for him? Is there something wrong with me? Am I really… Am I really… Is Aeris really that much of a better person than I am? She's everything I'm not… I can never help feeling like I'm not important to him at all… He loves her so much, and I should be happy for him… Why are there so many things wrong with me?" She breathed in heavily to keep herself from crying. She lifted her head from her pillow and looked earnestly into Yuffie's eyes. Yuffie almost cried, hearing all these words from Tifa…

"No! Don't ever think you're not good enough. It's just… Cloud sees something in Aeris… You'll always be his best friend, Tifa. Don't ever, ever forget that." Yuffie faltered. " It's just…" She trailed away, and for once in her life she was speechless. She didn't like herself for failing to make Tifa feel better.

At that moment, a big pounding came from the bedroom door.

"HELLO? TIFA!" Barrett's voice came through the door. "Open up!" Eyeing each other warily, they waited a few moments before Yuffie jumped at the door. She threw it open.

"Whaddya want!" Yuffie yelled in his face. "It's girl time!" Tifa added.

"Just wanted to see if Tifa was feeling better…" Barrett commented.

"Sure, I'm okay. How is Aeris?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"She's worried about you." Barrett replied. He looked a little sympathetic.

"Tell her I'm okay."

Barrett closed the door quietly, and Yuffie locked the door again. She sat back on the bed. "So what… What are you gonna do?" Yuffie questioned.

"I really, really don't know…" Tifa collapsed onto her bed again. "What is there that I can do? I think for now I just have to be happy for them…"

"You're a good girl, Tifa." Yuffie said.

"Well, I'm just glad to see him happy."

"Okay."

**The Next Morning**

Tifa rolled out of bed to find Yuffie already gone. _It's already twelve… When did I turn into such a late sleeper? _Tifa rolled out of bed and walked downstairs to find Aeris and Cloud cooking together. Cooking. Since when did Cloud cook? Tifa watched them for a moment.

"Cloud, what are you doing?" Aeris chimed from her position at the stove. "Stop mixing so hard! You're gonna crush the blueberries!" She cried playfully. She walked over and punched him on the arm lightly.

"Oh, sorry, miss Princess of Pancakes." Cloud joked. Aeris giggled. Cloud twirled the spatula faster and faster until pancake mix flew out of the bowl and hit Aeris on the face.

"Eww! Hey! Not fair…" Aeris put her fingers into the mix and smeared it all over Cloud's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Cloud feigned sympathy before covering Aeris' cheek with a swab of pancake mix. She laughed and then removed the pancake mix from Cloud's cheek with her fingers. They stopped for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Cloud kissed her, and Tifa couldn't watch any longer.

She turned to walk back upstairs, but could still hear them giggling and laughing. She could hear Aeris. _Cloud, stop it! We have to make breakfast! _Tifa sighed, disgusted, and clambered up the stairs. She slammed the door closed and peeled off her pajamas. She stepped into the shower. She thought about Aeris. She thought about Cloud. She thought of both of them… _I've known Cloud my whole life… Aeris had only met him awhile ago… How come she has been able to make him open up to her, while I can never seem to get him to open up to me? How come I can't have him…? How come I'm not good enough? _Tifa felt the tears drip down her cheek, and once she started, she just couldn't stop.

**Later That Night**

"We're going out to dinner." Yuffie said. "You can't just sit in here forever, you know. You have to come out some time." She said. Tifa had been sitting on her bed since she finished her shower six hours earlier.

"I can do what I want." Tifa replied. "I don't wanna go."

"I know you don't want to see it but… Tifa remember how you said you were really happy for them?"

"Yes…" Suddenly Tifa felt like a bad person. Of course she said she would be happy for them. She stood up. "You're right. I had no idea what I was thinking. Let's go!"

_I have no business being happy… _Tifa ran down the stairs. The rest of her friends were waiting by the front door. Yuffie jumped down out of nowhere using her ninja techniques. Tifa smiled her most dazzling smile at them. She opened the front door.

"Where are we going?" Tifa asked.

"The little 'coffee shop' down the street." Cloud replied. "Alright!" Yuffie exclaimed.

They all left the house, Vincent locking the door behind them. When they went into the restaurant, a waiter whooshed over to them.

"Nine?" He asked with a cute accent. "Yes." Cloud replied. The crew followed the waiter, Cloud and Aeris' hands intertwined all the while. They sat next to each other and scooted their chairs close together.

Yuffie and Tifa spent most of their time shooting spit balls across the table at each other. Vincent, Reeve, and Red XIII were in a deep conversation at one end of the table. Tifa sat next to Aeris, and watched her and Cloud out of the corner of her eye. They were snuggling and whispering to each other. Tifa felt her heart break. How many times had that happened? All she wanted was to be happy but… If Cloud and Aeris were happy, then that's how it would be…  
When their dinner came, the friends murmured in excitement and dug in.

**One Hour Later**

"So, Cloud, why did you want us to come out here?" Yuffie called from across the table. The friends' burble immediately silenced.

"Well…" Cloud blushed. _Should I…_ "I…"

Cloud stood up and moved his chair so he could stand next to Aeris. He kneeled down. All of Tifa's senses heightened. _Oh my God…_ Cloud brought out a small box. He opened it. Everyone gasped. A shining diamond protruded from a golden base. Cloud smiled at Aeris.

"Aeris, will you marry me?" Cloud asked.

"I, I… Yes! Of course! I love you." Aeris said. She knelt down to hug him.

Tifa watched on. She couldn't believe it. _No, this can't be happening..._And she had so much she wanted to say…

**Eleven O' Clock That Night**

"Yuffie, I can't believe it." Tifa heard Aeris exclaim. "I never expected Cloud to propose to me!" She laughed. Yuffie nodded. "It's awesome." She said it half-heartedly, torn between her two friends and Tifa.

"Yeah… It's great huh?" Tifa heard Cloud from across the room. He was talking to Reeve. "I just love her so much… I have to marry her."

Reeve cast a sideways glance at Tifa. He turned back to Cloud. "I'm happy for you two." He stated.

Tifa couldn't take it anymore. She walked upstairs without saying good-night. No one noticed except Yuffie, who chased after her.

"Tifa!" She called. But Tifa didn't want to talk. She slammed the door closed. "Tifa…" Yuffie meekly called again. _There's nothing I can do… She's going through something no one has ever felt. _Yuffie returned downstairs. Everyone was staring at her. They had obviously heard Tifa bang the door closed, and now they wanted to know what was wrong.

"What's wrong with her?" Aeris asked innocently.

"You're such a sweetheart." Cloud murmured to her. He kissed her lightly on the head.

"I'm going to talk to her." Vincent said from his corner. They all turned to look at him. "It's okay." He muttered, blushing.

Vincent whisked himself up the stairs. "Go, don't worry." He said. They started to talk among themselves.

"What's wrong with Tifa?"

"I hope she's okay…"

"Do you think it has to do with –"

"Don't talk about it. Not here."

"Right."

Vincent knocked softly on Tifa's door. She didn't answer. He put his ear up against the door quietly and could hear sniffling. Frowning, he opened the door. Before his eyes was Tifa, crying so hard on her pillow. She looked up at Vincent. He had never felt his heart go out to someone as quickly as it did at that moment.  
Her face was tear-streaked, her nose dripping. She didn't bother to wipe it. Her pillow was soaking wet. She had never looked so weak in her life. Their eyes met. She looked back down before standing up.

"I'm sorry. I'm so damn pathetic. I know, I know, you're going to get mad. I should be happy. I should be ecstatic. I should definitely be happy at the sight of my true love and my best friend together. Right? I'm sorry." Tifa sputtered out before she could shut her mouth. He stared, wide-eyed, at her. "No, no. I'm so sorry Vincent. I don't mean to be rude…"

Without a word, Vincent closed the door behind him. He sat down next to Tifa and produced a tissue out of his pocket, and gingerly wiped her face, like a gentle mother or a best friend would do. Tifa started crying again. She didn't know why. She had never felt so cared for in her whole life, sadly. She felt so weak, so feeble. She fell against Vincent's chest and whimpered. She shook and cried so hard, and she had never felt so spent. They stayed like that for who knew how long. When she finally stopped crying, she looked up at Vincent with her big ruby-red eyes.

"Why did you come here?" Where the first words she said. She could barely speak.

"I'm worried about you…" He replied.

"Why?"

"Because… I know what you feel like…" Vincent began. His voice became merely a whisper. "… Lucrecia…"

"Oh, Vincent. I'm so sorry. I've been acting so spoiled about it lately. I almost had forgotten about your past… I'm so sorry that I've made it all about myself." Tifa immediately replied. She buried her head into his chest further. The folds of his crimson robes closed gently around her. She felt warm and safe.

"Tifa, its okay… I know it's hard. Please, stop feeling like everything is your fault. It is very, very natural to feel how you do. And I know how much it hurts… You love that person so much, and every time you see them with that other person it just shatters your soul… You feel like you have no reason left to live…" Vincent trailed off. Tifa gazed at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. He smiled wearily at her. "Sorry to go off like that." He said.

"No, it's okay. Please, tell me everything about you and Lucrecia… I want to hear your story… And how you dealt with it. Will you tell me? I don't want to pry…" Tifa had a pleading look. He couldn't resist.

"Of course, Tifa, anything for you…" Vincent and Tifa had never really connected, but now, Vincent felt like he had finally found someone he could relate to. Tifa had never questioned Vincent and his mysterious history, but she felt safe. Anything they would talk about would never be repeated, and this would be their special moment…

As Vincent went on to tell his long and sad tale of his life, Yuffie was listening outside the door. She wanted to make sure they were both okay. She smiled. _Tifa… I know Vincent will be able to make you feel better… Don't be sad, okay?  
_Four hours later, when everyone was heading to bed, Yuffie gently knocked on the door. When she got no response, she opened it. The sight she saw made her smile. Cloud appeared behind Yuffie, surprisingly without Aeris next to him.  
Tifa and Vincent fell asleep in each others' arms. Her head was laying on his shoulder, and his head on hers. Her right arm was pressed up against his chest and his left arm was draped loosely around her waist. But what made Yuffie smile the most was that they were holding hands. Yuffie could see a slight smile on Tifa's face, and Vincent looked very peaceful.  
Yuffie looked over her left shoulder at Cloud. He was scowling slightly at the couple. He was staring at something, so Yuffie turned to see. He was glaring at their hands entwined. Yuffie smirked, satisfied. Cloud was jealous, that much was obvious. _He has no right… He has Aeris. _And with that, Yuffie entered the room and closed the door in his face.

"Good night, Cloud." She said through the door.

"… Good night."

**A/N: **Review! I don't update without reviews telling me if you guys like it or not!


	5. Chapter 5

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. Please review! I love getting them. And thank you so much for reviewing! Haha. Everyone's reviews made me blush- so… Thank you! And also, sorry guys, no Vincent and Tifa, they're just friends. Hmm, maybe I'll write another story about them! Anyway, onto the chapter.

**Chapter Five**

"Tifa!" Aeris called from down the hall. She rounded the doorway and chirped, "Yuffie, Tifa! Come, you're helping me with my wedding!" She could be so annoying sometimes.

"Wh-what?" Tifa was still half asleep when Aeris pulled her from her spot in Vincent's arms. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she tripped over Yuffie, who was also getting dragged by Aeris.

"You're helping me plan my wedding!" Aeris exclaimed again. _Oh God. _Tifa smiled meekly. "Okay…"

Vincent smiled awkwardly and stood up, straightening out the folds in his cloak. He yawned and trailed them out of the room before turning to retreat back to his own room.  
The three girls sat around the round table in the kitchen. As Aeris laid out several pieces of paper on the table, Tifa stood up to make coffee. She poured the steaming hot cups of coffee into the mugs and listened as Aeris explained the papers. There were many different categories. Venue, Food, Flowers, etc. All that useful stuff you need for weddings.

"Tif, I like mine plain." Yuffie said. "Yeah, can I get mine with a little bit of sugar?" Aeris asked.

"No prob." Tifa replied.

Tifa brought the cups over and sat down.

"Alright, so for where we're gonna hold the wedding… I had three things. I'm so excited! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Cloud!" Aeris exclaimed. _She is so cruel and she doesn't even know it… _Yuffie thought. She grimaced and glanced at Tifa, who sat with a fixed smile. Tifa felt like screaming when she heard Aeris say that. But she couldn't… She would never be able say anything…

"Anyway," Aeris said, completely oblivious to the hurt feelings. "So, I was thinking. Either in the mountains of Wutai, the beach of Costa del Sol, or in the beautiful forest near the City of the Ancients. What do you guys like? I can't decide."

"I really like the forest idea." Yuffie piped up. "It fits; you're a Cetra, it's the forest near your city… And besides, that forest is very beautiful and majestic!" She said, smiling.

"What do you think?" Aeris asked, turning her attention to Tifa. "Tifa?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I totally agree with Yuffie." Tifa mumbled. She didn't feel like being here, but she had to help her friend. Right?

"That's great!" Aeris chimed. She was so happy. "Alright, so about the food…"

The three spent the rest of the morning planning Aeris' wedding, from the food to who the guests were to be. Tifa spent the morning smiling and nodding, nodding and smiling until the end, when Aeris asked her the dreaded question.

"Tif, will you please be my maid of honor?" Aeris asked, grinning broadly at her. She then turned to Yuffie. "No offense, Yuffie. Please don't hate me!"

"Nah, it's cool… I don't really care." Yuffie stated bluntly. Ouch. She stood up. "So girls, I gotta go call the caterer and look for bridesmaids' dresses."

"Okay!" Aeris exclaimed. She looked at Tifa. "So, Tifa? Are you going to? Pretty please?" Aeris wheedled. Tifa sighed heavily. She looked into Aeris' emerald green orbs, which shone happily back at her. _I can't ruin this for her._

"Of course, Aeris. Anything for my best friend." Tifa forced out, word by word.

"Oh, Tifa. I knew I could count on you!" Aeris leaned across the table and kissed her friend on the head. "You're so great."

_How could I be mean like that to a girl like her…? But can I stand watching the man I love and my best friend marry? Can I do it without breaking down? _Just then, Cloud walked in and kissed Aeris on the cheek lightly.

"What are you two up to?" He murmured to her. He was talking to her, and only her. He didn't even notice Tifa. She watched on. Aeris noticed her and pulled away.

"Tifa agreed to be my Maid of Honor!" Aeris exclaimed. Then Cloud looked at Tifa. It felt like the first time in weeks… Tifa smiled at Cloud. "It's going to be awesome." She said softly. "I'm excited."

"That's great, Tifa!" Cloud said. He smiled back at her. "I'm so happy. And, I asked Vincent to be my best man."

"Really?" Tifa's eyes lit up. She had taken a liking to Vincent. "That's great!" She said, sounding genuinely happy.

"Yeah." He said.

"Oh, wait. One more thing. Tifa, let's go pick out a wedding dress!" Aeris twittered. She jumped up and pulled Tifa's arm. "Let's go, let's go!" It was cute how Aeris was like a little child.

Cloud laughed and poured himself a cup of coffee. Aeris and Tifa left the kitchen and went outside. Aeris laughed and pranced down the front steps and opened the front gates.

"Tifa you have _no idea_ how happy I am! I love Cloud! I love him!" Aeris giggled. "I love him so much."

"I know. I'm so happy." Tifa replied.

Aeris walked ahead and led Tifa to the dress shop. _What a lie… I've always wanted to say how much I love Cloud, but I can't… I never will be able to now… Aeris is so lucky, she's able to yell it, and say it… She can kiss him and he'll kiss her back. She can tell him she loves him and he'll tell her he loves her back. I can tell him I love him and he'll say "You're my best friend." But he isn't. He stopped being my best friend ever since she came back… But I can't complain… He lost his one love of his life… And now that she's back, who can blame him for enjoying it? _Tifa thanked Aeris as she held the door open for her. She examined the quaint little dress shop.  
Wedding dresses hung from the racks in the shop, and mannequins decorated the windows. Aeris gasped in amazement. Tifa just grinned.

"This is wonderful!" Aeris gushed.

"Yeah, it's beautiful."

"What kind of dress should I get?" Aeris asked.

A woman from the register walked over to them and smiled.

"Hello, I'm Chelsea. How may I help you?" The sweet saleswoman asked. She looked at Tifa. "Are you the bride?" Tifa smiled uncomfortably. "Err, no, it's her." Tifa pointed at Aeris. Aeris reached her hand out to shake Chelsea's hand, "Hello, I'm Aeris Gainsborough."

Aeris, Tifa, and Chelsea spent three hours trying on dresses. Aeris finally narrowed the choices down to two: a spaghetti strap white dress that started from white and then faded to a light aqua color that ended at her knees and the dress with the classic, puffy sleeves with the upside-down teacup type dress at the bottom. She twirled around in the latter choice of dress and grinned broadly.

"Tifa, what do you think?"

"I think it's gorgeous." She said.

"I think so too! I'm going for this dress, please, Chelsea." Aeris happily said. "Alright, I'll go and get the things to fit it." Chelsea replied. She whisked away to find pins and tape measurers. As she was gone, Aeris kept right on gushing about her wedding.

"Tifa, oh, I am so excited. I love Cloud so much; I can't wait till I get to spend the rest of my life with him. We'll have little kids… Tifa, will you be their godmother? It will be wonderful, you'll see. Cloud and I will be together forever…" Aeris swirled around in her dress and looked at Tifa in the reflection of the mirror. "Won't it be so great?"

Tifa couldn't contain herself anymore. A tear dribbled down her cheek, and Aeris noticed before Tifa could wipe it away. Immediately Aeris stopped dancing around in her dress and ran over. She put her hands worriedly on Tifa's.

"What's wrong!"

"I… I," Tifa sputtered. She couldn't stand this anymore. Not right now, at least. "I'm sorry. I have to go." Tifa ran out of the store, with Aeris staring after her. Chelsea appeared next to Aeris.

"Where did your friend go?" She asked.

"… I have no idea."

"Oh… Well, let's get to the fitting!"

Aeris reluctantly turned away from the door and stood up and walked to the mirror. _I hope Tifa will be okay…_

**Outside**

"Oof!" Tifa said. She had run into someone. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" She looked up and jumped back in surprise. "Johnny! Johnny! What are you doing here?" Tifa exclaimed.

"Hey, Tifa." Johnny smiled shyly. "I'm just here to get some things… Tifa? What's wrong?" He noticed her watery eyes and unhappy face. "Have you been crying?"

Johnny and Tifa stood for a moment staring at each other. She sighed heavily and fell against him. He wrapped his arms around hers and held her. She smiled. She had missed him.

"Come on, let's go get some coffee. You can tell me all about it there." He said kindly.

"Okay." Tifa replied. How lucky she was to run into her old friend here.

**A/N: **I know, this chapter was short compared to my other ones. And pointless again! Oh well, you guys like it. Please review! And I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed this story so far; you guys are awesome and offer inspiration!


	6. Chapter 6

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N: **Italicized means thinking. If you like this story, read my similar one called _Blue Ocean.  
_Please review! I love getting them. Yeah, I wanna slap Cloud too. And yes, my last chapter was a pile of crap but hey I'm getting somewhere! And don't worry people it is not gonna be a TifaxJohnny that's just pointless. And I'm probably going to write a TifaxVincent fic later but not now, so just read and review!

**Chapter Six**

Tifa and her old friend Johnny sat outside the coffee shop on the edge of town. The weather was getting cold, but Tifa didn't mind. She sipped her coffee daintily and listened to Johnny talk about his travels.

"… So then I said, 'that's not a Chocobo, that's my grandmother!'" He exclaimed. Tifa laughed appreciatively. "Anyway, Tif. Sorry to go off like that. Tell me, what's wrong?" He asked her, suddenly serious.

"Well you know half the story. We brought back Aeris… They had been getting closer ever since she came back, and they were inseparable. But last night… Last night Cloud proposed to her." Tifa stopped and took a deep breath in. She could do this without crying. "She said yes." Her eyes darted around, but she knew that Johnny was watching her face intently. "I'm happy for them." This time her eyes definitely didn't meet his. She looked down at her cup.

"The thing is… I don't really know if I wanna be here…" Tifa said after she finished. She put her coffee mug to her lips and drank. "I don't know if I can stand watching them be together… Don't get me wrong, I love them both so much, but… I don't even know…" She looked sadly at Johnny. "I don't really want to stick around, even now. But I have to go to their wedding. If I didn't… It would be rude. But I don't have to stay after, do I?"

"Why don't you?" He questioned. "Why don't you want to stay, I mean."

"I…" _I can't say it. _"I just don't want to. It's kind of hard. I don't have to stay though… Right?"

"No you don't… But where will you go after their wedding?" Johnny asked. Just at the moment, Cloud walked by.

"Hey, Tifa! What happened? I thought you went with Aeris." Cloud looked peculiarly at Johnny. He nodded hello. Johnny waved back.

"Yeah, I, uh, I had to meet Johnny. I forgot about it until I saw him outside." Tifa lied. _Whatever, it's not like Cloud really cares anyway. _"So we're having coffee. What are you doing?"

"I was going on a walk." He replied. The three of them waited in an awkward silence before Cloud started to talk again. "Yeah, so, I'm gonna head back. See you later." He walked away. Tifa turned back to Johnny.

"Sorry about that." She said. Johnny studied her face carefully and sighed. She questioned,"What?"

"It's easy to see how sad you are." He said plainly. Taken aback, Tifa blew into her coffee and watched the steam rise up into the cloudy sky. "I don't see why you hide it."

"What am I supposed to do? Get angry at Aeris? Yell, 'Why did you have to come into our lives and take away my—" She stopped. She was about to say "one true love." But no, that's not what he would ever be… _In order to be "in love" that person has to love you back right? I mean how can you be in love with someone who doesn't love you either?_ Tifa looked at him. "My best friend?' I don't think so, Johnny." She mentally kicked herself. _Johnny's not trying to insult me. Just help me… Why am I so rude lately?_ She looked up and immediately her gaze fell upon Johnny's hurt eyes. She frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm a little bit edgy lately." _A little? Yeah, right._

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Johnny replied, "Its okay, Tifa. I understand." He smiled weakly at her. "Don't worry." He said again, when he noticed the look of distrust on her face.

"Johnny, where am I going to go?" Tifa suddenly asked. "You saw me. I can barely contain myself without crying once a day. Sometimes I feel like I could cry for a whole week, but I can't. I have to be happy."

"Tifa… Why don't you just tell your friends how you feel?" Johnny asked her back.

"I can't. They'll think badly of me."

"They are your _friends_. They'd understand."

"I think they all know."

"You think so?"

"On some level, they have to know. I saw how they all looked at me when Cloud proposed to Aeris."

"Why don't you talk to them about it?"

"I can't."

"Okay."

**One Hour Later**

"So where will I stay?" Tifa asked again. "I don't know… Give me ideas!"

"Oh, I got it." Johnny exclaimed. "You can stay in Kalm! In my winter home. It's very peaceful. Perfect for a place to get away to." He said, excited.

"Really? Would you let me? Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude." Tifa replied hurriedly. She gasped for breathe and smiled at Johnny. _Why would Johnny let me live in his winter home?_

Johnny laughed. Classic Tifa. Never wanting to upset anybody, always double checking to make sure it was okay. He nodded at her. "Of course! You're one of my dearest and oldest friends, Tifa. You can move in as soon as the wedding is over, if you like."

Tifa jumped up and pulled Johnny so he could stand. She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. She was positively beaming at him. "Thank you so much, Johnny! I'm so excited! I think I'm going to go back now. And pack. I can't thank you enough." Tifa put money on the table they were sitting at. "You're so great. I'll see you at the wedding, okay?"

"I'm invited to the wedding?"

"Yeah, we haven't gotten the invitations out. The wedding is in exactly one week. You're definitely coming! I'll see you there, okay?"

"Okay. Sounds good. Bye, Tifa."

"Bye."

**One Hour Later**

Tifa stood in the middle of her disheveled room with her hands on her hips. She sighed heavily and brushed her bangs back with her right hand. Her clothes were strewn about the room, but a big pile lay next to a giant black suitcase. She was just thinking whether she should bring her flip flops or not when Aeris burst into the room, holding her puffy silk dress.  
Aeris immediately dropped her dress and rushed around the room to help Tifa clean up. She stopped when she saw Tifa slightly glaring at her. She let go of the pile of clothes she was holding and hugged Tifa with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Tifa. Why did you run away?" Aeris asked. _Maybe she was just sad because she's not getting married. That's probably it. _"Why are you packing your clothes?"

"I…" Tifa replied, not sure what to say. "Nothing. Never mind. Just… Just do whatever you want okay?" Tifa picked up the bundle of clothing that Aeris had just dropped. She folded it neatly, ignoring Aeris' stare. She packed up the rest of her suitcase. "Still here?" Tifa asked in a fake cheery tone.

"What's the matter with you?" Aeris asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Tifa laughed. "No, you did nothing wrong. Trust me, Aeris, you could _never _do something wrong." Tifa grinned at her. "It's okay."

Aeris sighed in relief. "Okay, Tifa. I believe you. If you need anything, I'll be in Cloud's room." She left, casting one last concerned glance at Tifa.

Tifa started to straighten up her room when Yuffie walked in holding two ice cream cones. She handed one to Tifa before sitting on her own mussed up bed. Tifa nodded thanks and got back to her cleaning.

"What's up with all this stuff?" Yuffie asked as she leaned back against the headboard. "Why are you packing? Did I miss something?"

"Uh, no. Don't worry about it. So how's your day going?" Tifa said, avoiding Yuffie's eyes. She finished making her bed and then sat down gingerly on the end of Yuffie's bed.

"Umm… Good…" Yuffie glared at Tifa. She didn't like being ignored when she asked questions. She moved her feet so Tifa could be more comfortable. "You know you're not answering my question…"

"Huh?" Tifa feigned stupidity. "What?" She stood up and finished her ice cream. Yuffie watched silently as Tifa finished cleaning the room. She walked up to the door and blocked it.

"Where are you going?" Yuffie asked, serious. Tifa looked at her. "Yuffie… Just leave me alone." Tifa replied. She pushed her friend out the door and started to close it. "Sorry, Yuffie." She finished closing the door and leaned against it, running her hands through her hair. She didn't know what was wrong with her lately.

Yuffie stood outside of the doorway for a few moments, contemplating what to do. Normally she would've banged on the door and yelled, but she knew better than to pull that with Tifa, especially now. She dejectedly walked down the staircase, when she heard Aeris call her name.  
A moment later, Aeris' hand reached out and tugged on Yuffie's shoulder. She swiveled her around.

"What's wrong with Tifa?" Aeris asked.

"I… I don't know." Yuffie said. She knew what most of it was about, just not why she was packing.

"I hope she'll be okay. I bet she's just sad that she isn't getting married." Aeris said, sounding chipper.

That's what bugged Yuffie about Aeris. She never seemed to have compassion for anyone. She was so oblivious to others when it came to them being sad. The only person who she had a soft spot for was Cloud, and it was obvious how willing she was to be Cloud's girl, to be his only outlet. She alsoknew deep down that Tifa loved Cloud, but she either didn't care or didn't want to act on it. It pained Yuffie to see Tifa like that. It made her even madder that Aeris didn't care. Yuffie would never feel like Tifa, and she would never be able to say, "It's okay, I understand." Because she wouldn't. Not now, and most likely not ever.  
Yuffie was annoyed with Aeris. She hated how Aeris acted like she cared so much about Tifa. But even if Tifa came out and admitted to everyone that she loved Cloud, she knew that Aeris would subtly try to get Cloud to love her. But that was the thing about Aeris. She didn't need to try; she already had Cloud's heart. What pained Yuffie was that Aeris had to continue rubbing it in Tifa's face.

"Go talk to her yourself then." Yuffie snapped. She walked away without a word.

Aeris took a few steps back, surprised. She thought Yuffie was the happy girl. _Go talk to her myself? Should I? _Aeris backtracked and stopped at the closed door. She knocked on it lightly, afraid. She watched the door slowly open and she and Tifa shared an awkward moment. As Aeris looked into Tifa's hurt ruby red eyes, she was surprised. _Why would she be sad?_

"Tifa, are you okay?" Were the first words that came out of her mouth.

"I'm fine." Tifa replied. "Was there something you needed?" Tifa asked, trying to keep the tone light and happy.

"Nah, I just noticed how sad you've been lately. I want to know what's making you sad."

"Nothing, I'm perfectly okay."

"Okay people don't break down crying in the middle of a dress shop."

"Aeris! Listen to me! I'm perfectly fine! I don't know why you think I'm so sad but I'm telling you, I'm fine. I'm great, actually. Trust me."

"… Are you sure?"

Tifa didn't even respond. She slammed the door in Aeris' face and locked it. She lay face down on her bed, letting the tears roll. She used to never cry, and now she seemed to cry every day. _What's wrong with me? _Tifa turned over on her side and fell asleep, wishing that this was all a dream, and that she would wake up. But it wasn't. It was the never-ending nightmare that was her life.

**A/N: **Short, I know. So review! Hmm yeah my chapters will get longer later!


	7. Chapter 7

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.

Where did all the reviews go? I only got two last time and it makes me sad. So let's _please _get some more reviews! I know the story is kind of boring right now but hey, it'll get better!

And also, I just checked out my old writing and it's like wow now I suck! Haha, if you're looking for a better story go check out Blue Ocean, because basically this one sucks compared to that one… So you should probably read that one and review it too… :

So onto the chapter…

I hope you guys aren't disappointed!

**Chapter 7**

It was the day before the wedding. The evening light streamed in from the open window and hit a beautiful brunette with sparkling green eyes in a white wedding dress. From the corner, she was being watched by the woman who would always be her best friend and rival for the love of their lives: Cloud Strife. However, the blushing bride had won out, and now Tifa was forever going to just be his best friend. Tifa watched sadly and happily as Aeris danced around in her frilly white dress.

"Oh, Tifa… Isn't this gorgeous?" Aeris exclaimed from her position at the mirror. "I can't wait…"

"Aeris, it definitely looks great on you." Tifa replied, watching out the window periodically for signs of the rest of the team. "Don't get caught in your wedding dress… Remember, its bad luck." Tifa glanced up at the clock on the wall, which was ticking closer and closer to five PM. "You might wanna change… They'll be back any second now."

"Oh, you're right… What time are we leaving again?" Aeris asked as she trailed out of the room.

"In an hour." Tifa replied.

Tifa sat as still as a statue, staring at the road out the window. She squinted slightly because of the sun, but it didn't bother her too much. Finally, Aeris came in wearing her regular pink dress. Suddenly, Tifa turned her head at the shouting of her friends.

Cloud was smiling up at her, holding many shopping bags. She laughed to herself and leaned out the window to talk to Cloud.

"Hi!" She yelled down.

"Miss us?" He replied.

"Ye—" She began, before Aeris started yelling down at Cloud from the window across the room.

"Cloud!"

"Hey…" He replied, blushing. He smiled at her. "I'll be right up." He said again, ignoring Tifa.

After staring at Aeris for a few moments, she looked back down to see Vincent staring forlornly at her. She frowned before leaving the window and going to the doorway, where she heard the rapid-fire artillery footsteps of her friends. Yuffie burst in first, holding many paper bags, full of clothes, no doubt. Followed by the rest of them, Tifa smiled until Cloud waltzed in and kissed his soon-to-be-wife on the lips. Tifa's smile faded a little, but she kept it up. She saw Vincent looking at her, and she knew right away he had something to say.

"Hey, kiddos, get your asses down here!" Cid suddenly yelled down from the kitchen. "I got some wonderful Panda Express!"

After a series of "oohs" and "ahhs", the group filed down the staircase again and into the kitchen, where the sound of a big group of people in a small kitchen could be heard. Tifa and Vincent were left alone in the room, and paying him no attention, Tifa closed the window closest to the mirror that Aeris was modeling herself in. She closed the heavy linen blinds after squinting for a few moments into the sunset. She then picked up her now neatly folded suitcase and whistled out the other window.  
Her chocobo appeared and she threw her suitcase down, which landed with a thump on the chocobo. It warked a few times before running away down the road, heading towards Kalm. It already knew where to go, because Tifa specially trained it. Tifa smiled lazily before shutting the curtains on the window. She then turned around to face her now seemingly dim room. She saw Vincent sitting on her bed now, facing her.

"What's wrong? Not hungry?" She asked blithely, as she rearranged a few things here and there in her room. Mostly, she was trying to act distracted. She didn't want to get into anything too deep yet.

"Aren't you hungry?" He retorted calmly. "What did you do with that suitcase?"

Tifa turned and looked at him blankly. "Nothing… It doesn't really matter…" She laughed weakly. "Why don't you go and eat? I'm sure you're hungry, Vincent."

"… Tifa, I think you're making a big mistake."

"What do you mean?" She replied, acting dumb.

"What I mean is… You should tell him you love him."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, isn't it?"

"Well sometimes the right thing isn't always the best thing."

"Maybe…"

"Listen, Vincent. I love that you really care about me and all my problems, but Cloud no longer concerns me. I'm not the one marrying Cloud," Tifa said, half-smiling at Vincent, "Even though I wish…" She trailed off before turning around to snap on the desk lamp in the corner. "Its fine, I'm fine. Trust me… Go eat, okay?"

"Tifa…"

But before Vincent could say anymore, Tifa lead him out of the room and now the two of them were holding hands in the hall besides the staircase. She kissed him gently on the cheek before letting go and returning to the doorway. Vincent only stared sadly, understanding that she needed to think things out for herself. He cast her one last sympathetic look before whisking himself down the stairs.  
Tifa closed the doorway after making sure Vincent was in the kitchen, and then walked back over to the desk. She sat down on the wooden chair and pulled open the drawer, rummaging for a spare pen and some paper. _Time to write my farewell note… But I can't let anyone find it before I'm gone or else… _Tifa finally pulled out a piece of paper. She stared at it for a few moments, blinking slowly, trying to think of what to write.

_Everyone,_

_I'm sorry to leave so soon after the wedding. There are just so many things I need to think about… But trust me, it's my problem, and please don't worry. I'll be back soon, but in the meantime, please take care. Cloud and Aeris, I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful time. Barrett, Cid, please take good care of everyone. Yuffie, thank you for being here for me… And Vincent, you're the best friend anyone could ever have. Thank you._

_But as for why I'm gone, it shouldn't matter much to you guys. I just hope you won't worry too much because I'll be fine and well. I hope to see you all soon…_

_Yours Truly,  
__Tifa Lockheart_

Tifa whimpered softly as she tucked the note into the pocket of her skirt. She heard someone knock, and then heard the creaking of the door. She turned to face Aeris, smiling at her.

"Oh, Hi." Tifa said.

"Hi… I was just wondering if you were hungry! I didn't want you to be hungry on the ride over so I brought you some food…" Aeris gestured a plate full of random Asian food.

"No, no. I'll bring some snacks on the ship… Thanks, though."

"You sure?"

"Yeah… Thank you, though, Aeris. You're so nice." Tifa laughed.

"Aw, well, okay. We're leaving in ten minutes, so be ready soon. I got the dresses and tuxedos all in the ship already, so just bring cosmetics or whatever." Aeris replied airily before she shut the door and rejoined the group in the kitchen.

Tifa shook her head and stood up, soaking in the last sights of her room. She was going to miss her friends, this place. Tifa took a few hesitant steps before she stopped completely as someone knocked on the door. _Please don't be Aeris… _

"Come in."

Instead of Aeris, it was Yuffie with a sour expression on her face. Tifa, surprised, walked towards her and tried to pull her away from the doorway, but Yuffie stood stone still. She backed away a little and sat down on her bed and faced Yuffie.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked.

"Where are you going?" Yuffie asked.

"What? What do you mean?" Tifa replied.

"I saw you throw your stuff out the window! Where are you going?" Yuffie demanded, now with a grim expression. "And don't give me any of that 'playing stupid' stuff! I want to know! You've been giving everyone the cold shoulder lately and we're all worried."

"…" Tifa could see that Yuffie was being serious this time. She stood up and then stood right in front of Yuffie. She slowly began, "I'm going… I'm going away to Kalm… After the wedding… I need some time to think… I'm sorry I acted so cold to everyone… Especially you… You're my best friend, but I… I don't think I want to stick around for long after the wedding, you know?"

"Oh, Tifa." Yuffie immediately abandoned her angry look and embraced Tifa. She then took a step back and held her shoulders, staring Tifa straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I understand… I guess I was just a little bit upset at not being told what was going on… But that's really no excuse. You can take as much time as you want to think, alright? I won't tell anyone where you've gone, if that's what you want."

"Yes, please… That would be so great. Thank you…" Tifa smiled warmly at her friend.

The two were suddenly interrupted by Cid's booming voice again, who yelled, "Get your fucking asses down here, NOW! Can't keep my beauty waiting…"

"Who, Shera?" Reeve asked.

"No, you dumb shit! My Highwind!"

"Oh."

"Don't 'oh' me, mister! You know she's beautiful."

"Well I didn't know 'she' had a gender…"

Laughing, Tifa and Yuffie came down the staircase and joined their friends who were already leaving. Vincent waited for them to leave before he turned to lock the door behind them.

**Ten Minutes Later**

"Okay, I'm tired so I'm going to my room." Tifa said to her friends.

"Okay." Cloud called once before turning back to face the speeding ground before him, one arm around Aeris.

"Cloud… This is so great. I've never truly realized the impact of this ship till now." Aeris said. "It's beautiful…"

Cid smirked at that comment for a moment before returning to his grumpy stage. Cloud laughed and snuggled closer to Aeris and put his mouth to her ear.

"You're beautiful… I love you."

"I love you too…" Aeris replied.

_I'm so happy to have found Aeris… _Cloud kissed her again and again, making Tifa sick. She had started to go to her room before, but then stopped when she heard Aeris talking. She wished she hadn't. Now all she wanted was to go back to Nibelheim and sleep. As Tifa rushed out the door, she noticed Yuffie bending over in pain. She stopped quickly to get a hold of her friend, and then slowly helped her to the bathroom onboard. She immediately opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out some tranquilizers, which she shot into Yuffie's arm.

"Th-thanks… Listen, I'm gonna go back to my room now…" Yuffie hiccupped queasily. Tifa nodded.

"I'll help you… Here, put your arm like this…" Tifa heaved Yuffie up and strung her arm over her shoulder. Together, they slowly walked until they reached Yuffie's room, where Tifa unceremoniously threw Yuffie on her bed with a plunk. "Sorry, Yuffie." She said quickly.

"Mwfaroghemboo." Yuffie replied.

Tifa left Yuffie's room and went into the adjacent bedroom, which was hers. She laid down on the bed, staring up at the metal ceiling. She listened to the painful groaning of Yuffie from the other side of the wall before standing up. She walked over to her window, which had a built in couch. There were three window panes, creating something of a spread-out U, and had a fluffy leather couch between. She sat down and felt the cold chill of the outside air rush down her spine. Tifa rested her forehead against the window, watching the ground fly by beneath her. She watched her breath fog up the window, and with her left hand, she drew a small heart.  
She was jolted upright when she heard someone's footsteps coming towards her room. The person knocked.

"What?"

"Hello, Tifa." Vincent said, his voice sounding somber and serious. He entered the room and closed the door.

Vincent walked over and sat at the edge of the couch near Tifa's feet. She reached out for his hand clumsily and he took it, smiling at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… Why would something be wrong?" Tifa replied.

"I don't know…" Vincent looked like he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I just wanted to say that I'm happy that I've found a best friend in you, that's all."

"Oh, Vincent… Me too." Tifa flickered a small smile at him before sighing. She looked so spent.

Vincent reached out and hugged her, and she let herself fall against his body, enjoying the scent of him. She felt herself falling asleep, when suddenly she was awakened by her door opening. She and Vincent looked up to see Cloud staring at them.  
On his face was a mixture of jealousy, anger, and sadness, but it quickly disappeared. The three shared an awkward moment before Vincent cleared his throat, stood up, and walked out of the room. Cloud stepped by to let him pass before shutting the door behind him.

"So…" Cloud began.

"What's up?" Tifa asked.

"Okay this is going to sound kind of strange, but Tifa, this wasn't my idea, okay…? Seriously, I would never think up this…"

"Cloud, just say it!" Tifa kidded. Cloud laughed and blushed a little. Tifa smiled.

"Oh… Fine… Well, Aeris thinks you and I should share a hotel room tonight. I mean, okay, seriously, like I said, it wasn't my idea… She says its bad luck or something to share a room or something…"

"I… Uh… Okay…?" Tifa said, unable to say anything else. She was in shock.

"Oh, and sorry if I interrupted something with you and Vincent… Are you guys dating?" He asked. For some reason he found himself dreading the answer "yes".

"What! No!" Tifa blushed profusely. "We're just friends."

"Oh… Okay…" He said, sounding somewhat relieved. "Okay, well, we're landing soon… So you should get ready…" Cloud backed out of the room and shut the door.

Sirens and whistles went off in Tifa's head. _Is Aeris deliberately doing this to make me hurt? What is this… This is so stupid… I can't… I can't… _Tifa stared out the window, seeing the approaching snow-capped mountains in the distance. Her heart was hurting…

**Half an Hour Later**

"Oh, wow. This room is great." Tifa said, in awe.

"Yeah, really…"

Cloud and Tifa threw their stuff into the room before sitting down on the leather couch across from the giant TV. As Tifa flicked on the television, Aeris' shrill voice came through the closed room door.

"Cloud?"

"One sec."

Cloud threw open the door and Aeris gave him a big kiss, as if they hadn't seen each other in three years. _Jesus._ Tifa stood up and turned off the TV, throwing the controller on the couch. She walked towards them.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go hang out with Yuffie, alright? Don't have too much fun now." Tifa said slyly, winking.

"Bye, Tifa!"

Cloud just stared at her, as if forgetting she was there. Then he slowly raised his hand in a gesture to wave. They watched her walk away. Tifa walked down the hallway with as much poise as she could muster, knowing that the man she loved and her best friend were getting married the very next day.

**A/N: **Okay, this chapter was kinda boring and stuff, and not really any drama… Well, meh. Just keep reading people… And review please! I'm trying to reach my goal of 100 reviews… Anyway this chapter didn't really make up for anything but I swear to GOD that it'll get really good. (Sorry, God.)

Just review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.

Review… That's all I gotta say.

**Chapter 8**

Tifa walked out of the hotel room that Yuffie and Aeris would be staying in that night. She closed the door behind her and left Yuffie watching old movies and eating stale popcorn, while she returned to her room. She hesitantly knocked on the door, not wanting to interrupt. She sighed, relieved, when Aeris answered the door.

"Hello! Tired?" Aeris asked.

"Yeah, sure…" Tifa replied. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Oh, no, of course not. We're just watching some movies. Want to join us?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm going to take a shower." Tifa stepped into the room and nodded at Cloud, before taking a right to go to the bedroom.

Tifa gathered her old sweatpants and her tank top, and stepped into the bathroom. She undressed and stepped in, but soon got out in annoyance. She couldn't have a peaceful shower with Aeris and Cloud giggling and laughing in the next room over. She could hear them. She felt sick of herself. Tifa stepped out and turned off the shower, and quickly dried herself off before dressing in her pajamas.

Everything fell quiet, and Tifa knew they were probably kissing. She threw her clothes on the floor, trying to make as much noise as possible so she could go say "good-night" without having that awkward pause again. She then heard the clinking of dishes in the sink, and she knew it was okay to go. Tifa padded outside the bedroom and saw Aeris at the sink, and Cloud on the sofa.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," Aeris announced, "I'll see you all in the morning! I love you, Cloud. Sleep well. You too, Tifa." She finished, before wringing her hands dry. She walked over to the door and opened it for herself.

"Love you, sweet dreams." Cloud said, as he walked over to hold the door open. He kissed her on the cheek. Tifa looked away for a moment.

"Good-night, Aeris." She said.

Cloud shut the door behind Aeris and turned to face Tifa with his hands on his hips.

"I'm… gonna… shower." He said slowly.

"Cloud, first… There's only one bed."

"I – wha?"

"See?" Tifa pointed behind her at the big queen sized bed in the bedroom. "Share a bed? Or do you want me to take the couch?"

"We can both share a bed. I want you and I to be in the best possible state tomorrow! And don't worry, It'll be fine… We're just friends."

"R-right…" Tifa felt her heart jolt. "I'm gonna go ahead and get in bed then. Good-night." She said weakly.

Cloud didn't notice. "Goodnight."

When Cloud got in bed, the moon was shining on the bedspread, illuminating Tifa's already fast asleep body. He smiled at the sight and joined her on the other side of the bed. Tifa had stayed as far to the left as she could, to hopefully avoid any contact. Cloud laughed to himself and did the same, but stayed far to the right.

After Cloud dozed off, he rolled over in his sleep. He was now facing Tifa's side, as she was sleeping on her back. His arm fell loosely next to hers, their hands touching. Out of instinct, Cloud reached for her hand and held it, his subconscious thinking it was Aeris. Tifa felt something grabbing her hand, but she was too tired to get up and look.

**The Next Morning**

The sun shone brightly through the window, and the birds chirped loudly. Tifa woke up with a start, forgetting where she was. Then she looked down at her hand, which was intertwined tightly with Cloud's, and then remembered where she was and why. Her heart sank. She had dreaded this day, but she never really felt as bad as she did right then. She sighed sadly and was startled when she heard Cloud's voice.

"Tifa…"

"Huh?"

Tifa looked at him and saw him gazing down at their hands. He then looked up at her and blushed. She did too and they pulled their hands away. Tifa then looked to the bed stand and at the clock.

"Cloud! It's ten o' clock! The wedding starts in an hour! We can't keep Aeris and everyone waiting…"

"Oh shit." Cloud jumped out of bed, followed by Tifa. They raced to the bathroom, and they both got stuck in the doorway. "Let me go! I'm the groom!"

"Well, I'm the maid of honor! And besides, you don't have to impress anyone, Aeris loves you anyway." Tifa said. She hated having to say those words, but she had to…

"Can't argue with that logic." Cloud said playfully. He really had changed since Aeris came back. It was good and bad. He let Tifa run in first, and then threw the bridesmaids dress after her.

The dress was a short, lilac colored dress, which faded to white at the bottom. The dress stopped an inch above Tifa's knee, and had a small slit on the side. It also had two delicate straps that held it up. If Tifa were the one getting married, she would have chosen that as her dress. But she wasn't.

Tifa jumped out of the shower ten minutes later and threw on her dress. She combed her hair and dried it as quick as she could before exiting the bathroom. Cloud went in and took his shower, smelling the lavender scent that Tifa used. He smiled instinctively and basked in the smell of his dear childhood friend.

**The Wedding**

The Lunar Harp sat radiantly on its pedestal to the right side of the priest. The altar was pure white, and a big archway stood above the priest dressed in white and black, with a cross. Tifa and Yuffie stood on one side of the walkway, holding their bouquets, and Vincent, as well as Cid, Barrett, and Reeve on the other side, looking sharp in their tuxes. The giant group of guests sat on comfortable chairs facing the altar, all talking amicably.

Cloud stood on the altar, looking anxious. Anxious, but happy. He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with Aeris. He stood, his gaze fixated on the entrance to the forest, where she would be appearing. And when she did, she was beautiful.

The crowd gasped at the view. Aeris' somewhat curly hair was soft and tamed. Her light peach complexion set off her dramatic green eyes. She had a brides' smile, looking scared but sure. Her white dress was delicate and shimmering. It was magnificent. As she floated down the aisle, the talking had ceased completely. Everyone's eyes were on the blushing bride, including Tifa.

Tifa felt horrible. Not because Cloud was getting married, but because Aeris was alone. Her father, Professor Gast, was supposed to be beside her. But he was dead. Her mom was dead too. Tifa knew that she shouldn't have felt so bad for herself. _My parents may have died, but I've never been through anything that Aeris has been… How selfish of me… _The professor should've been there. Her mother should have been there. But as it was, they weren't.  
When Aeris reached the altar and stood beside Cloud, he whispered incoherent words into her ear. Tifa felt a pang of jealousy, but immediately it faded. She knew that Cloud wasn't hers to have. But even so, she couldn't help but feel betrayed. Betrayed, lost, confused… sad… She couldn't even listen as they exchanged vows. But the silence deafened her as the priest said the words that were beautiful and lovely, yet they were ugly and they broke her heart.

"… Till death do you part?" The priest asked, the only part that Tifa caught onto. Her heart was beating so fast, she was surprised it didn't burst.

"I do." Cloud replied, his voice exploding with happiness.

Tifa felt her knees go weak. The thing was that every hope she had, even the tiniest wish and dream and want, was now destroyed. It was broken, shattered. She almost had to laugh. Cloud had hurt her so much, but the irony was that he didn't even know it. He didn't have any idea at all that Tifa loved him. And the moment those two words left his lips; it raised thepoint that he would never, ever, love Tifa, because he loved Aeris. He always would. Even though sometimes Tifa had an inkling that Cloud might've had feelings for her back, she understood that everything she thought of was just a dream. Just a dream that would never happen. She felt the tears well up beneath her eyelids, and she could only see the fuzzy outline of Aeris' lips. She had said "I do." They were kissing. And smiling. Smiling and kissing at the same time. An aching feeling in Tifa's throat rose up, the kind that people have before they cry.

The people who were watching Tifa would mistake her tears as tears of joy. Only she and a few others would know why she was really crying. Tifa couldn't take it anymore. She fell to her knees, dropping her flowers on the ground. No one paid her any attention, but her friends. Tifa felt the worried hands of Yuffie on her back, supporting her. Tifa cried harder. How could all her friends know how much she loved him, but he was the only one who remained oblivious?

Tifa didn't know, but when she had fallen, Cloud had reached for her, only to be intercepted by Aeris' shining eyes. He forgot about Tifa. He kissed Aeris again, and the crowd cheered. Together, Aeris and Cloud walked away from the altar, leaving Tifa behind.

**Reception**

Everyone was having fun. There was a big buffet of food, as well as round tables with chairs, where people sat gossiping and talking. Reeve walked around with a camera and a microphone, asking everyone to say something for the bride and groom.A crew fromthe FOX network entered the forest, with a black haired girl clad in blue and black, wearing a necklace with two rings,to interview at the wedding.Everyone laughed and joked, except for one girl.

Tifa sat behind a tree, far away from the wedding reception. Her dress was dirty, but she didn't care. She just sat there, crying, but sitting in the warmth of the forest. The green hue and the trees mixed together stretched on forever. She wiped her nose and eyes, but still the tears came. She rested her head in her arms, watching the tears drip onto the dirt below her. She suddenly felt the hand of her friend on her back.

"Tifa…" Vincent said. Tifa didn't have to look up.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Tifa, no. I'm sorry." Vincent said. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her. "You can cry…"

"Vincent… I don't understand."

"What?"

"It's so wrong…"

"What is?"

"That I love him."

"Loving isn't wrong, Tifa. Don't ever think that it's wrong. Love is a basic human emotion."

"But it's not just that! I love the groom! I love the man who my best friend, Aeris Gainsborough,loves, and now they're married! I've loved him since we were kids, since the days we fought together, since the day we met… But these questions had always run through my mind 'did he feel the same way?' and now I have my answer. No, no, he doesn't. I'm just his friend; I'm just his childhood friend… But why? Why did he have to fall in love with Aeris? Why are there so many things wrong with me, so many things where he has to love her? But most importantly… What I really want to know is why… Why did I have to fall in love with him…? I regret it. I regret ever loving him. But I still want to know, Vincent! I want to know why I hadn't told him earlier! Even though right now I'm telling you how much it hurts and how I never should've fallen in love with him in the first place, I still do! I can't stop myself from loving him... But would it have changed anything? The thing that bothers me is that no matter what happens now, it's too late. I'll never have a chance. Because he said 'I do' and that tells me he doesn't even care. No matter how you analyze it, it always comes out the same way! He loves her! He loves Aeris Gainsborough! He loves my best friend and doesn't even know that I love him." Tifa paused breathily.

"I love him... I love him so much that it hurts. Every fiber of my being wants to scream and tell him that I've always been here for him! Every moment that passes that I'm not near him... It hurts so bad, Vincent. I've always thought that maybe one day he'll love me too, just maybe... But he doesn't now, and I can see that as clear as day. And the only one to blame is myself. If I had maybe told him earlier, it would've changed... But it won't. But why can't he see? That I've always been here for him? I'm waiting for him, but the only one he waits for is Aeris. His unwavering affection and love for her hurts me so much. But I can't tell him. I can't tell him that I love him, because I don't want to upset him. While he is living blissfully, unaware that I love him, I'm in the background hurting. And I love him! I love Cloud Strife! I love him more than anyone could ever know... But that is the problem... I love him so much..." Tifa got quiet, and whispered, looking into Vincent's eyes, "I love him so much, all I want to see is him happy. I love him so much that I'm watching him love someone else…" Tifa shuddered and cried so hard. "I've been here all along... But that isn't enough…"

Vincent was speechless. All he could do was hold onto Tifa tight, and that's what he did. He knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, and he hated that. So he held onto her and caressed her hair, letting her sob onto his tux. He couldn't help but cry too. The feelings that Tifa had expressed… It couldn't help but remind Vincent of his love for Lucrecia.

While Vincent and Tifa were cuddling, they had no idea that Cloud was watching them. He was glaring. He didn't understand this turmoil within him, but all he knew was that he didn't like seeing them together. Tifa had said that they weren't dating, but what was this? Cloud hadn't heard what she said, but he could see her crying. Why would she cry? He was so mad. He wanted to run over, rip them apart, and yell, "Get off her!" But what business was it of his? _Tifa can do what she likes… _Cloud angrily stormed off, leaving the pair in the forest.

**That Night**

"How is she doing…?" Yuffie asked.

"She's asleep, but I think she'll feel better when she wakes up." Vincent replied.

"You really think so?"

"No."

"Yeah…"

Tifa was fast asleep in the hotel room that her and Cloud had shared the night before. Being so exhausted, Tifa had fallen asleep a few hours after the reception. It was now about ten at night, and Cloud and Aeris were still out and about. The rest of the crew was busy taking care of Tifa.

"Poor Tifa. She never got to tell Cloud how she felt." Barrett said.

"Yeah, and that kid has a helluva lot of nerve pulling that shit he did." Cid replied.

"So are Cloud and Tifa sharing a room, again?" Nanaki asked. The group silenced and looked at each other uneasily. They were all thinking the same thing: _Very bad idea. _

"… That's a bad idea…" Vincent began. Reeve nodded. "But I don't think that we should wake her up."

"Why don't you lift her up?"

"Just leave her." Yuffie interjected. "It'll be fine." _Tifa may not know it… But she'll feel more comforted being by him, even though he's married…_

"What? Why?" Barrett asked.

They were interrupted by Aeris and Cloud, who stumbled into the room. They laughed loudly at their own little jokes, but stopped when they saw everyone glaring at them.

"What's wrong?" Aeris asked, suddenly looking distraught.

"Tifa's asleep." Yuffie said.

"Oh… Okay, I guess you and I are sharing a room, then!" Aeris said, a little too enthusiastic.

"…"

The eight of them shared a chilly moment, not the kind you'd expect from your oldest friends. Cloud broke the silence by yawning. He blinked tiredly and wrapped his arms around Aeris, giving her a kiss. He whispered that he would see her tomorrow, and that it was time to sleep. The rest of the group took this as their cue to leave, and so they did. Cloud suddenly found himself alone in the hotel room, the lights off. He was in a slight dream state, still confused by the days events. He was so extremely happy at being married, but somewhere deep within he felt great tension due to something, or someone, but he wasn't so sure what it was about.

Cloud quietly slipped into the covers in the next room and listened to the deep breathing of Tifa, who was sound asleep, curled into a ball. Cloud smiled at the ceiling before falling asleep.

**Three Hours Later**

Cloud woke up abruptly. He thought he heard a door closing. His head immediately turned to his right, where he found Tifa's spot empty. _Did Tifa leave? _He threw the covers back and practically ran for the doorway. Cloud threw on a pair of jeans and a white shirt, as well as his shoes. Cloud then ran out the door, looking for Tifa. He heard the ding of an elevator, so he ran over to the elevator area. The cold tile floor echoed his footsteps eerily, and he looked around. Six elevators and Tifa was in one of them. He looked around in desperation, but he didn't really know why. He saw the up arrow on one of them. _Is she going to the roof? Why? _Cloud quickly called another elevator and followed Tifa.

When the door opened, Cloud was immediately surrounded by fog and cold. The roof was desolate and bleak looking. He could tell that no one came up here. He looked around for Tifa, who was standing at the far corner, staring off into the forest. It gave off a faint hue of green, and she felt calmed by it. She saw the sparkling lake that was in the middle of the City of the Ancients. Tifa felt the cold wrap its arms around her, but she didn't care. Soon, she'd be out of this place, and away from Cloud and Aeris. She could finally think. She was startled by Cloud's voice.

"Tifa?"

"What…" Tifa turned around and blushed profusely. She then turned quickly away and looked over the forest. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Tifa smiled inwardly before turning over her shoulder to look at Cloud. He looked disheveled and sleepy.

"Well, I have my reasons… But Cloud, you look tired. Go get some sleep, huh? You had a big day today." Tifa stared blankly at the forest again. It was magnificent.

"Tifa, it's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay."

"What are you talking about?" Tifa felt Cloud wrap his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder. She looked at him again. He was half asleep.

"Tifa… You're my best friend…"

"Oh, Cloud." Tifa gazed up at the sky. It reminded her so much of that night at the well.

"Tifa, what are you gonna do?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, Aeris and I are moving out…"

"Oh…"

"Are you going to live alone?"

"I wouldn't like to."

"I'm sorry to leave you like that."

"Don't be."

"I am."

"Don't worry…"

The two stood still together, lazily watching the sky for a brief while before Tifa finally spoke.

"Cloud, I'm leaving."

"Are you tired? I'll come with you."

"No, I mean, I'm going away."

"Where?"

"… I don't know…" She lied.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

"So then, don't go!"

"Cloud, it's not that easy."

"Nothing is easy, Tif. Everything has its consequences."

"You're right, which is why I'm leaving."

"What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"So many things, Cloud. It's okay…"

Tifa removed Cloud's hands from around her and took a few steps away. She looked over her shoulder to see Cloud with his hands on the railing, looking between her, the sky, and the forest. Finally he settled his mako eyes on her. She took a few more echoing steps before she was stopped by his voice.

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry about what?" She asked. She didn't turn around. She couldn't. Her hands clenched.

"Me."

The silence overpowered Tifa. She couldn't stand it any longer. She ran towards the elevator, not looking back. She quickly pressed the down button. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. As Tifa ran through the village, her thoughts churned wildly in her head. She suddenly stopped short of the ocean and turned around. She could make out someone at the very tip top of the hotel, and she saw Cloud. And he was watching her.

**A/N: **Review, please! They would be highly appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.

Review… That's all I gotta say.

**Chapter 9**

She couldn't get out of there fast enough. Tifa's chocobo sprinted as fast as it could across the ocean, creating a small tidal wave in its wake. She felt the tears streaming down her face, but she did nothing to wipe them off. When Tifa finally reached the beach near Kalm, she dismounted her chocobo and sent it away to the ranch. She wanted to walk.

The moonlight beat down on her back pleasantly. The soft breeze carried Tifa from behind as she slowly walked towards Kalm. The long grass wavered gently around her legs, and Tifa couldn't help but feel a sense of calm. She welcomed the night, and she didn't care if any monster dared to attack her, as she had brought her gloves specifically for that reason. Tifa needed to vent out, and this was her way to do it.

However, nothing attacked her on that night, so she strolled through the fields until she reached Kalm, where she paused. She reached down into her pocket and pulled out a key, which had a post-it note stuck to it. Johnny had written his address on it and his number in case she needed to reach him. She walked leisurely through Kalm, the only source of light coming from the street lamps. Tifa realized that in just a few hours, it would be daylight again. She quickened her pace and checked the house numbers on the side of the street, looking for Johnny's.

When she finally found it, she was slightly surprised. It was so well kept, with a beautiful green garden and flowers, the whole house painted a light beige color. _He must have gardeners, because I remember that Johnny was horrible at growing things… _Tifa let out a tiny gasp and a "woops" as the sticky note from the key flew off. She just shook her head and turned to face the house. Tifa smiled to herself and then let herself in. The door creaked open and the lights flickered on. She gasped in amazement. She found herself in the front foyer, and to her left was a giant flat screen television with comfortable leather couches. Beyond them were the walls. They weren't exactly walls though, because they were giant, framed, windows. They overlooked a pool and a hot tub, as well as a full sized tennis court. _Oh wow. _Directly in front of her was an indoor bird-house, with small little parakeets and a small lake. Tifa glanced to her right, and saw the kitchen.

"I am kinda hungry…" She murmured to herself. She opened the fridge and took out a bowl of strawberries, before walking around the house some more.

After giving herself a grand tour of the house, she settled on the couch and flicked on the TV, which was already at FOX, her favorite channel. The news was on. _But it's four in the morning! _Tifa then looked at the clock, which said that it was five. _Oh, I guess my watch is off. _Tifa settled in to watch the news. They must've already covered the important stories, because the first one to come on for Tifa was a wedding.

Not just any wedding, but Cloud and Aeris'. Tifa froze. But then she remembered why they would film that. _We saved the world, and then we brought back a dead woman. Of course they're going to cover the wedding… Especially since the wedding is Cloud and Aeris'. _Tifa made herself watch the news anchor as she spoke happily about the occasion.

"… And just yesterday, Cloud Strife, the world's very own hero, got married to Aeris Gainsborough, the last Cetra, who was dead, but then brought back by her comrades. Who could imagine a more perfect couple? Everyone is very elated to hear the news. Here are a few shots from the wedding…"

The reception came on, and Tifa looked at the edges of the screen. She could see her friends. She knew why she wasn't there. The camera was focused on Cloud and Aeris who were busy smiling and laughing together. Tifa suddenly noticed a movement from the corner, which was Vincent rushing away. She felt her feelings from the previous day surge back into her.

"Hello, I'm Rinoa Heartilly from FOX news; may I ask you a few questions?" The reporter, Rinoa, asked Cloud.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"How are you feeling right now?"

"Oh, I'm so happy. I've never, ever, been happier. I'm so thankful for everything right now, too."

"Who would you like to thank for making this wedding possible?"

"I couldn't have done it without Tifa Lockheart."

Tifa froze. She couldn't feel her arms or legs.

Cloud continued, "Tifa is my best friend and I'd never be here without her, because she has helped me through everything. I love her." Tifa's vision went blurry. "I…" He trailed off. "Tifa has…"

Tifa turned off the TV and sat in the darkness of the room, unmoving. She couldn't take it anymore.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Tifa sprung up to answer it, wondering who it could be at that hour in the morning.

**Meanwhile**

Cloud stared out at the ocean, watching Tifa as she mounted her chocobo and sped away quickly. Those moments that they stared at each other, her on the beach and him on the roof, made him nervous. His heart raced, and he wanted to run down and tell her he loved her and to never leave him. But the moment she turned her back, his thoughts floated out of his head and he returned to his room.

As he entered, he listened as the door shut behind him. Cloud rested his back against it and crossed his left leg over his right and lifted his head to touch the door. He sighed. Why wasn't he happy? He wondered. He was married, and yet he wanted to go to Tifa. What was his problem, anyway? Cloud shook his head and walked over to his bed, and slipped under the covers.

_I should go after Tifa… Well I can't, Aeris will be worried… I hope she'll be okay… _Cloud stared up the ceiling before falling into an uneasy sleep.

**The Next Morning**

"Cloud?" Aeris' voice came from the doorway outside the bedroom. She let herself in with the room card.

"Yeah…?" Cloud glanced sleepily at the clock which read 10:19 AM.

"We're married…" She cooed, before letting herself into the room. She stopped. "Where's Tifa?"

"What?" He asked.

"She was sleeping here! Don't tell me you let her out of your sight…" Aeris called over her shoulder. She was running to find her friends and to tell them Tifa was gone.

Cloud blinked. He couldn't remember. He thought hard, before he did remember what had happened the previous night. They had talked on the roof. He couldn't remember what happened; only Tifa's words, _I'm going away. _

Slowly, Cloud got up, due to the rushing of his friends entering the room. They were all wide awake, dressed in their old traveling clothes. Barrett gruffly reached out to pull Cloud from the bed, who whined a little, his foot caught in the sheets. Finally when he shook loose, the friends all glowered at him. It was Vincent who spoke first. His voice came out soft, but was betrayed by his hard look.

"Do you know where Tifa is?" He asked.

"Uh –" Cloud began weakly. "I… I have no idea…"

"But she was here with you, dumb ass." Cid growled, stuffing cigarettes in his mouth.

"Yeah. Wouldn't you know if she had left?" Reeve asked.

"I…"

"We should find her." Barrett interrupted Cloud.

Silence washed over the group, and they all stood in an awkward silence, when Cid turned over his shoulder and glared at Yuffie.

"You haven't said anything… And you're the most talkative… You know something, don't you?" At those words, everyone turned to look at Yuffie, who turned bright red.

"N-nope. Ya think if I knew I would've let her go?" Yuffie exclaimed, pretending to be highly offended. "You're a retard."

"Shut up, you little brat." Cid angrily said, before turning his back to her.

"I think we should go back to Nibelheim and wait for her there…" Red said softly. The group turned to look at him, and he stood on all four. "You know Tifa. She must've left for a good reason," Barrett and Vincent exchanged looks at those words, and Red continued, "We should just let her come back to us on her own."

"… You think?" Vincent asked.

"Of course, you know what I mean, don't you Cloud? You guys ar- were best friends after all." Cloud blinked when Red said "were" instead of "are". He slowly stood up, feeling the worried hands of Aeris around his.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. Are we all going back to Nibelheim? Or…" Cloud trailed off.

"Cloud and I can go to our new home in Costa del Sol." Aeris chimed in, finally. She smiled happily, as if completely unaware that Tifa was missing.

"Yeah, whatever." Yuffie sharply said.

**One Hour Later**

Everyone was crowded around the large table in the mansion at Nibelheim, with the exception of Cloud and Aeris. They were talking about Tifa, the marriage, Cloud's attitude, and Aeris. Yuffie was unusually quiet during the whole conversation, and Vincent kept eyeing her. _She must know something… _He made a mental note to talk to her later.

"I feel so bad for Tifa…" Yuffie began.

"So do I. And I've known Tifa the longest out of all of us here, minus Cloud." Barrett added. "When Tifa laid eyes on Cloud when we got back from our first mission, she was happier than I had seen her in awhile… That spiky ass really took Tifa for granted.

"Aeris really hasn't been a big help, either. She keeps acting like there's nothing wrong with Tifa… But you know she's more aware than that. What do you think she's thinking?" Red asked to the group, but not really expecting an answer.

"Who knows what she's thinking…" Vincent said.

"Tifa deserves better than Cloud… I mean, sure, she really loves him, you see how she sticks around him no matter what he's going through, but look how he takes advantage of her!" Reeve said.

"I don't think Cloud realizes really what he's missing out on…" Vincent replied calmly. "You see, Cloud has always depended on Tifa to be there, but now that she seems to be drifting away from him, he's mad. He's like a child… He's worried that now since the one figure in his life that's always been there is going away, he'll be alone. People constantly change through out his life, and I think that Tifa is the only person he truly knew would always be there for him. Now that Tifa is seemingly leaving him, he is only starting to realize…" He paused, "that he may love her."

"And Aeris?" Yuffie questioned.

"She left him once, and he never forgave himself for that. He loves her so dearly; it's almost to a fault. His love and guilt that he couldn't protect her mixed together and now he believes that he must guard her with his life now, and that the only way he could do it was to marry her."

"How do you know all this?" Barrett asked gruffly.

"It's easy, if you pay attention…" Reeve replied for Vincent.

The group got into a big discussion, and they never seemed to run out of sympathy for Tifa, anger at Cloud, or confusion for Aeris. Vincent got up slowly after an hour and asked Yuffie if he could talk to her. Vincent led Yuffie outdoors and into the backyard. The bleach white patio furniture seemed out of place in the dim light coming from the lamp on the patio. Crickets chirped and birds twittered. Yuffie took a seat on one of the long lawn chairs and waited for Vincent to make himself comfortable up against a wall.

"What's up?" Yuffie asked, acting casual. She could pull it off.

"What do you know about where Tifa is?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Yuffie, come on. I know that you know something… I am much wiser than I look." He moved in close.

"I-uh…"

"Tell me."

"I don't know anything!"

"Yes, you do."

The two shared a hard stare until finally Yuffie gave up,

"Fine!" Yuffie cracked. _Tifa, please forgive me. _"She left to go to Nibelheim. I'm sure you don't have to ask why, though." Yuffie huffily stood up and let herself in through the sliding glass door. "When you find her, tell her I'm sorry."

Yuffie shut the door and left Vincent outside, with only the sputtering light of the porch lamp. _Tifa… _Vincent sighed before following in Yuffie's steps and letting himself back in the house. The group, who were still talking, stopped and looked at him warily.

"What's wrong?" Reeve asked.

"I'm going to find Tifa."

"Do you know where she is?"

"I… I think so. I'll be back soon." As Vincent turned to open the front door, he found that the lock was opening. He could hear a woman's jovial laughter from the other side. Aeris and Cloud opened the door and looked surprised to see Vincent.

"Hey, what brings you two back here?" Red asked from his position on the floor.

"We got lonely at our house in Costa del Sol, so we decided to join you all here!" Aeris chimed, smiling. She kissed Cloud on the cheek. "Where ya goin' Vincent?"

"I'm going to find Tifa."

"Oh… Good luck!"

"Do you know where she is?" Cloud asked. Everyone silenced and stared at him. The way he said, "_Do you know where she is?_" was almost accusatory, and the friends detected a hint of jealousy.

"I think I have a good idea of where she might be, yes." Vincent and Cloud exchanged a long look. Cloud stepped aside to let Vincent pass.

"Take good care of her, Vincent." Cloud leered slightly at Vincent.

Vincent smirked and said, "If only you knew…" Cloud stopped smiling and closed the door behind him.

Vincent listened as the door closed. He welcomed the chilly air as it flowed around him, and listened to the echoing sounds of his footsteps hitting the frozen sidewalks. A few street lamps lit the streets, but mostly Vincent had to trust his feet.

As Vincent reached the outer limits of the quiet town of Nibelheim, he stopped. He glanced back at the mansion, which was lit up. He walked slowly but surely in the direction of the ocean. He wanted to wait until he got there to call for his chocobo. Vincent couldn't help but feel sad. It had been years since he really connected with someone… The last person was Lucrecia… _Could I be falling in love with Tifa? Ever since we met I could always feel some sort of connection with her, and I saw so much of my dilemma in her… Maybe it's just a kinship… But somehow I cannot help but think of her as I think of Lucrecia… But her heart… Tifa's heart is for Cloud Strife, a man who might never love her back. I know how she feels… But I'll watch her love him, if that's what it takes for her to be happy._

Vincent knew he would always love Lucrecia, with every fiber of his being. But Tifa was also special to him.

When he reached the waters edge, he summoned his chocobo, who came speeding out of the direction of Chocobo Ranch. He nimbly got aboard his chocobo, and pushed it in the direction of Kalm. His maroon robes trailed behind him, the cold water splashing his face.

The beach quickly approached, and Vincent sped over the hills and on the rivers until he finally saw Kalm on the horizon. The sun was just coming up over the quaint village. He smiled despite himself and jumped off his chocobo and walked through the town. A fierce wind blew, and a small yellow note stuck to the side of his shoe. He picked it up, and it read "Johnny's Home: 1069 Kalm Road". _This must be her friend's house that she's staying at. How lucky am I to stumble across this… _Vincent briskly in the direction of the house, noting the numbers. _1073, 1071, 1069… Here! _A beautiful house met his eyes. He walked up to the door and knocked, wondering if she would answer.

Finally, the door opened, and Tifa appeared with a look of shock, suspicion, and happiness on her face.

"What are you _doing _here?" Were the first words she could say.

"I came to see if you were okay."

"How did you know…?"

"Yuffie… She wanted me to tell you she was sorry, too."

Tifa laughed a little at this. "It's okay. I'm actually kind of glad you're here…" Tifa blushed and smiled. "Oh, it's so cold! I'm sorry I left you standing here. Come on in…"

"Nice house."

"Yeah, I envy Johnny… So would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please, and I also need to use the phone to call them back at the mansion."

"What? Why?"

"I need them to know you're safe." He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He punched in the number and listened to it ring. Finally, Yuffie picked up, her voice trembling.

"H-hello?"

"Cloud? I found Tifa. She's safe… What's going on over there?"

"It's horrible, Vincent. You have to come, quick."

**Meanwhile**

"I'm going to make tea, anyone want anything?" Aeris asked. After taking orders down from her friends, she walked into the kitchen and started taking out glasses.

_I wonder if Tifa is okay. I bet her and Vincent are dating secretly! Oooh, wouldn't that be cute! But I wonder why she's been so… emotional and secretive lately… _Aeris kept wondering on and on about Tifa as she prepared tea and coffee for everyone.

"So, Cloud… How's it goin'?" Cid asked, trying to fill up space. There was a terrible awkward silence that kept drifting over them.

"… Good… I'm worried about Tifa."

"Oh, really? You never seem to act like you are." Yuffie said snottily. "Since when did you start caring for someone other than yourself and Aer—" Reeve elbowed her in the side, and she immediately closed her mouth, but her irritated stare still pierced Cloud.

"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked, confused. "I've always cared for Tifa!"

"Yeah, then why—" Yuffie started, but was immediately jolted out of her sentence by a loud crashing sound from the kitchen. Like a bullet, Cloud shot up out of the leather armchair and ran to the kitchen. The group stood up too, waiting for Cloud to say something. He disappeared around the corner, and a moment of silence followed.

"Aeris!" He shouted. Everyone ran into the kitchen, and found a horrifying picture.

Aeris was sprawled out on the kitchen floor, glass everywhere. Her eyes were open, the sparkling green staring out at the ceiling. Cloud remembered. It was like at the altar when she… He rushed forward and picked her up, feeling the shards of glass beneath his boots crackle and break. Tears blurred his vision.

"Aeris?" Her name left his lips slowly. She was still warm, and he felt a pulse.

"Has she fainted?" Reeve asked.

"Why would her eyes be open?"

"I…" _I can't lose you again. Because I'll never forgive myself._

The phone rang. No one dared to move, butafter a heart beat, Yuffie moved from behind her friends.She walked over to the phone in a daze and lazily brought it up to her ear.

"H-hello?"

"Cloud? I found Tifa. She's safe… What's going on over there?" Vincent's voice rang out the other end.

"It's horrible, Vincent. You have to come, quick."

"What's wrong?"

"She… Aeris… Something is wrong…We don't know what to do."

"It'll be okay, Yuffie… I'll be back soon."

**A/N: **Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.  
Review… That's all I gotta say.

**Chapter 10**

Tifa watched through the window as Vincent sped away, his long cloak trailing behind him. She sighed. She wanted to go, to see what was wrong with Aeris. She wanted to help her, but she also couldn't. A small part of her wanted Aeris to go again. She was selfish, she knew. Tifa still couldn't help it. Sometimes her own wants and needs and fears peeked out beneath her shell of security. And Vincent could read her like a book, which didn't help much anyway.

She turned around and faced the dark house. _It needs some light… _The sun was already over the horizon, and she threw open the gigantic curtains to reveal a beautiful rising sun. It reminded her of so long ago, when she used to get up early and sit on her roof to watch the sun rise. Once, when she went to the well to watch the sun, Cloud joined her. It was a memory that surprised Tifa.

**Flashback**

_Tifa sat on the edge of the chilly well, her neck hurting slightly from tilting her head up at such a strange angle for the morning. She was watching the sun rise, as she did every day before school. Her mother and father never knew she left the house so early to watch the sunrise. If they had, they would've stopped her right away._

_Tifa heard the door open. She immediately whipped her head around, hoping that it wasn't her parents. She sighed in relief. She saw the spiky little head of Cloud Strife's, his cute little face popping up next to her._

_"Hi, Tifa." He said shyly._

_"Hi!" She said brightly._

_"Can I sit here with you?"_

_"Of course!"_

_Cloud craned his neck up, and Tifa glanced at him to look at his reaction._

_"It's pretty, isn't it?" Tifa asked._

_"Yeah…"_

_"I do this every day before school."_

_"I know…"_

_"You do?"_

_"Sometimes I see you from my house in the mornings. Once my mom saw you too and said, 'Cloud, don't you ever sit up there! We wouldn't want you to fall in or break your leg!' She's sometimes a little over protective, but that's okay." Tifa laughed at these words._

_"I don't like to think about the danger."_

_"You've always been optimistic."_

_"Thank you, Cloud."_

_"Yeah."_

_"I'm gonna miss you when you leave, you know."_

_"I know, I'll miss you too."_

_"So why don't you stay?"_

_"It's not that easy, Tifa."_

_"Nothing is easy. Everything has its consequences, Cloud."_

_"You're right." Cloud smiled at her. "Like always."_

_"Oh, Cloud, I'm not always right."_

_"Trust me, Tifa, you are."_

_"Cloud…"_

_"Tifa?"_

_"I... I l-like--"_

_Cloud's mom called his name. He jumped down immediately and waved good-bye to Tifa as his mother scolded him. She smiled at Cloud, who smiled back before disappearing into his home._

**End Flashback**

_That was the last sunrise I ever watched… "Everything has its consequences"… Cloud said that to me last night. Did he think about that morning at the well? Our childhood memories… _Tifa smiled at the thought of their old memories together and gazed at the sun, for a moment, content with her life.

It wouldn't hurt to watch it again.

**Meanwhile**

"Aeris…"

"She's not dead, but she's not awake… And no one faints with their eyes open," Reeve observed, "but what else is she?"

"Aeris…"

"Vincent, help us!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"I don't know…" Vincent murmured. He watched Aeris intently.

Suddenly her chilled green eyes turned warm. She sat up, her head throbbing, her wounds cauterized and bandaged. Aeris surveyed the room, finding six of her friends' concerned eyes looking at her. She smiled wearily.

"What happened?"

"We heard a crash, and I came running in, and you were on the kitchen floor, covered in cuts and bleeding… Your eyes were open but you weren't conscious." Cloud kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'm worried."

"It's okay, I…" Aeris suddenly trailed off, her eyes growing larger and larger. She started coughing violently.

Aeris coughed more and more, and Cloud held onto her. She stopped suddenly, and then gave a last vicious cough. Blood came out of her mouth. She stared at it before fainting again. Cloud shook her and yelled her name.

Aeris' friends all reached forward. Barrett scooped her up and brought her up to the bedroom, and Cloud stared motionlessly behind him. Everyone followed Barrett except for Vincent who sat down in Aeris' old spot.

"Are you alright?" Vincent asked.

"I… I'm scared for her…"

"We are all scared."

"No, but I'm so much more… I love her, I'm afraid to lose her again. Because last time it was my fault. I wasn't strong enough to protect her! This is the second time, the second time that I failed. I won't let now be the third…"

"Who was the first?" Vincent couldn't help but let his curiosity shine through a little.

"… Tifa."

"Tifa?"

"I couldn't protect her from Sephiroth in the reactor. I couldn't protect her or my town, or my mother. I wasn't even strong enough to get into… … I couldn't protect her. I loved her then, you know?"

"You did?"

"I really did. I know that it wasn't puppy love either… I knew that I wanted to be with her, so badly…"

"Why don't you anymore?"

"I… She never loved me back. She didn't love me, and I think it's because I couldn't protect her. Aeris still loves me, thank God. And I love her."

"… I see."

Cloud was about to say something but was interrupted by a shout and a slam. Yuffie rushed down the stairs, whose feet pattered lightly on the carpeted stairs. She noisily tripped down the last steps and came to a stop a few feet away from the two on the couch.

"Sorry, but Aeris is awake! She really wants to talk to you, Cloud!"

"I'll be right there." He jumped up from his spot on the couch and raced up the stairs. Vincent followed suit, with Yuffie behind him.

"Aeris!" Cloud exclaimed. He bounced onto the bed next to Aeris. She sat up slowly and he supported her with an arm.

"Cloud…"

"Aeris, what's wrong?"

"I… You need to find out."

"… How do I do that?"

"I think… I think you should go back to Icicle Inn. If there's anything to know, it will be in my parent's old home. Please…" Aeris whispered into Cloud's ear, "Please hurry…"

"I promise, Aeris, I won't let you go again…" Cloud glanced to Cid and Vincent. "Cid, can you take me and Vincent to Icicle Inn?"

"Yeah."

The three boarded the Highwind that sat on the outskirts of Nibelheim. The ship seemed empty without the rest of their friends. Vincent took to his corner, and Cloud stood at the front of the airship. Cid nodded at him before watching over the pilot.

Cloud stared out over the ocean and watched as it sped beneath him and the airship. _What if I lose her again? What if she leaves me… I can't… I can't stand the thought. My life would fall apart without her… Who would piece me together? … Tifa… Oh, Tifa. She would always be here for me, I know. But she's grown so apart from me lately… I know it's my fault. I've been ignoring her. God, what am I doing? What am I doing…? Tifa… I'm so sorry… I still… I still…_

"Cloud! Let's go, we're here." Vincent broke Cloud out of his thoughts. Cloud stared blankly at him for a moment before nodding and following him into the village.

The twinkling street lamps sparkled on the snowy streets. The chilly air mixed with the fog from their breaths made the whole thing feel like a set-up. Cloud walked ahead of Vincent and opened the front door to the old home. It felt like years ago when Cloud had last stepped foot in here to find out how to resurrect Aeris. And now he was here to save her.

"I'll look through the bottom floor. Can you get the top?" Cloud asked, already stepping down the stairs.

"You got it." Vincent started to search.

"What were you saying before?" Vincent asked after a few silent moments of searching.

"What?"

"When we were back in the mansion. What were you going to say before Yuffie came out of the room?"

"Oh… Oh, yeah. I love Aeris a lot, and I mean it." Vincent nodded. "The thing is, while my love for Aeris is right there, right up front, sometimes I can't help but feeling like…" Cloud took a deep breath, "I can't help but feel like that I love Tifa. There's something about her that stirs me deep inside, and I can't place it. But sometimes…

Sometimes these old feelings resurface and I don't know what I'm doing. But then I take a look at Aeris, and all those feelings are gone. I'm afraid to confront those feelings because I know she doesn't love me. She doesn't truly love me."

"Who doesn't?"

"Tifa."

"Why don't you think she loves you?"

"She doesn't… I can just tell by how removed she is around me. I think she is mad at me for leaving her like that. I'm so sure that she doesn't love me that I have to leave her. Being around Tifa…" All these feelings that Cloud never knew he had surfaced and he couldn't stop telling Vincent. "Being around Tifa makes my heart hurt. My head hurts. All these old feelings and new emotions cloud my vision and I can't even tell what I really want."

"But you love Aeris, don't you?"

"Yes, I really do love her. I love her with all my heart."

"But Tifa…?"

"… Tifa…" Cloud honestly couldn't put words together to explain how exactly he felt.

Whenever Cloud thought of Tifa, no words came to mind. Just emotions. Love, jealousy, anger, regret. Cloud forced the thoughts of Tifa out of his mind. _Right now, I have to find how to cure Aeris… What if she leaves me again? _Cloud was relieved that Vincent didn't press the topic. If anyone knew anything about love and regret, it was Vincent.

"Find anything?" Cloud called after ten minutes.

"No, all these things are about Weapon or Jenova." Vincent replied, "I'm going to help you search down here." He said as he walked down the stairs.

"Alright."

"I'm going to check under the beds, maybe there's something there."

"Maybe…" Cloud joined Vincent at the farthest bed from the door and together they over turned the mattress.

"There's nothing he—" Vincent began.

"Look!" Cloud interrupted. He reached down and plucked up a crimson red book from the dusty corner of the bed frame. He brushed off the dust from the book and opened it. The yellowing pages sat fragilely in the book.

"It looks like a diary." Vincent pointed out.

"Could it be…"

"Ifalna…"

"…" Cloud opened up the diary.

_January 13_

_Professor Gast, well, my new husband, wants me to keep a record of all Ancient magic. In this journal, there are many different things._

"It's not a diary; it's a journal of Ancient magic stuff." Cloud said.

"Okay, maybe it'll help."

Cloud didn't reply but instead read on.

_Table of Contents_

_Weapon – Page One_

_Jenova – Page Fifty_

_White Magic – Page One-hundred Thirty-two_

_Resurrection – Page Two-hundred One_

"Here!" Cloud pointed at "Resurrection – Page Two-hundred One".

He flipped hurriedly to the page. A few brittle pages snapped and fell to the floor. He finally stopped and squinted hard at the yellow paper to read out loud.

"'Resurrection of a Cetra is unknown to most. Since the morals and standards of Cetra are high, we do not like to tempt fate by resurrection. Although there are certain times when our standards must be put aside, we mostly do not take part in this ritual.

Besides morals being broken, there are also many faults to the resurrection. The process has never been refined and therefore does not prove to always be successful. The chance of a resurrection working is small, even when a Cetra is doing it. There is a fifty percent chance that it will fail. When a non-Cetra performs the ritual, chances are cut in half.

Upon resurrection by a non-Cetra, there is also a fifty percent chance that within one month the victim will die. Causes are unknown. Symptoms begin with losing consciousness, although eyes may be open.'" Cloud stopped. His hands were shaking. Vincent put a caring had on his shoulder and took the journal easily and began to read aloud, so that Cloud could listen.

"'After fainting there will be nosebleeds, coughing up blood, and high fevers. After fainting the victim will initially last only a few hours. We Cetra have reason to believe that when this process occurs, the body is destroying itself from the inside. We do not, however, feel much pain as we are about to be reunited with the lifestream.

Speculations as to why a Cetra could possibly die are wild and some very possible. The reason that is the most popular is that Mother Nature is angered. We have tampered with the after life, and have taken her stones in which she placed immense power. The Gods will have been angered too, as much as to take the life of the one whose life had been treasured so much as to work so hard for.'"

Vincent couldn't keep going. He threw the journal on the floor and replaced the mattress. He couldn't look Cloud in the eye, who was staring into his hands while sitting on the other mattress.

Finally, Cloud spoke. "We have to go back and tell her." He looked up at Vincent with tears in his eyes. Before he would never have admitted to crying, let alone doing it in front of others. But this time he couldn't help it.

Vincent didn't rub it in or tell him to toughen up. He sat down beside him and patted him on the back. "It's okay to cry."

**A/N: **Okay so they did sound kinda girly/gay then. But there's nothing wrong with that, after all they're too hot and handsome.


	11. Chapter 11

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.  
And also, in regards to a review made about Advent Children and that Aeris can still be with him in spirit form, well, A) I haven't seen Advent Children since I haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, and B) I think that if Aeris can be with him in "spirit form" she would've been with him through their journey back in the game right? Well, whatever, spirit form probably isn't as fulfilling as being there in physical form (don't take that the wrong way).

Maybe I'm just missing out on something since I haven't seen the movie. Oh well.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my reviewers! Yay, I love you guys!

Continue to read and review please!

**Chapter 11**

"Where is she!"

"She's still in her room."

"Okay."

Cloud ran up the staircase back in the house in Nibelheim. Yuffie had concernedly greeted Cloud at the door, to find that Vincent and Cid were still on the outskirts. She tried to figure out what Cloud had found, but he refused to answer her and demanded to see Aeris.

Yuffie shrugged and pelted up the stairs after him.

"Aeris!"

"Cloud? What did you find?"

"I found… I found a diary... Er... I guess more of a journal. I think it was written by your mother..."

"So? What did it say?"

Cloud explained to Aeris what he found under the mattress. He couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes until the very end. He glanced up at her with his tear filled eyes to find himself staring into her eyes, also swimming with tears.

"Oh, Cloud…" Aeris paused. Cloud couldn't speak anymore. He let his head droop into Aeris. She caught him and petted his head lovingly. "Cloud… We knew it was too good to last."

Cloud pulled himself away. He didn't expect her to say something like that.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean… Cloud, you know much I love you, don't you?" He nodded eagerly. "And I love you so much more than that. Our happiness has always been limited, whether it was due to our personal problems, our journey, Sephiroth, or another friend…" Cloud looked up questioningly. _Another friend? What? _But he didn't interrupt. "We never had a lot of time to spend together. Can you honestly say you were surprised at this? At our chance to be together and that now I have to go?"

"I love you too much. I can'twatch you go. Without you… Without you I don't have anyone left who truly loves and understands me." Cloud sounded selfish, but if he were ever going to say how he felt, he was going to do it then. "I need you… I love you…"

"Cloud have you ever questioned it?"

"Questioned our love? Of course not… Don't you also love me?"

"Cloud! Of course I do. Don't ever think I'm not in love with you. Because we both know that I am. But Cloud… have you ever loved another?"

Those words sent chills down his spine. _Tifa… _"No, I only love you." _Why did I say that?_

"Cloud, you have to be strong. Be strong for our sake. For your sake… And for Tifa's."

"Tifa's?"

"Everyone's…"

"Aeris, I don't know… I don't know… How can I go on without you? I lost you once already. Damnit, Aeris! I'm not gonna let you go again! I'm not going to let you slip away just like I did before! I can't accept it…"

"Cloud!" Aeris interrupted, for once her voice forceful and angry. "Listen to yourself! Don't do this! You have to accept it because it's going to happen! As much as you and I love each other there's nothing we can do to stop it…" Her voice became soft and quivering. "Cloud, please, don't let yourself go. Don't… Don't make it all harder than it is. Isn't it enough that I love you and that you love me?"

The honest answer for Cloud was "No". It would never be enough. "…Aeris, I love you." He couldn't stop saying it. "I love you, I love you, I love you! I love you and I need you to be with me so I can finally be happy!"

"I'll always be with you, you know."

"I know, you'll be with me in my dreams or in spirit, but Aeris… Aeris I still can't stand it. That makes it worse. Knowing that you're watching me and watching out for me makes it worse because then it proves that I never could protect you! I failed twice, Aeris, and it hurts more than just that because you're the reason why I'm happy!"

"… Am I really what makes you happy? Do you truly believe that without me you'll never be satisfied with life?"

"Honestly, yes."

"Oh, Cloud… There are so many places you haven't looked. You're still the young arrogant, naïve Cloud that I first met." She put a hand to his cheek and stroked it softly. "But I'm not the only one who loves you. Please, take care of Tifa…"

"What does she have to do with all this?"

"Everything, Cloud… One day…"

"Aeris, I don't understand! Why are you so calm about this?" _She doesn't care. She doesn't love me anymore… _"Why?"

"Cloud… I knew that it wouldn't… It wouldn't last this long. I just knew. Earth… The earth was talking to me. It told me I was to be reunited soon… Reunited… But never mind that. Cloud, please…"

"I love you, Aeris."

"I love _you, _Cloud."

"Will I… Will I ever see you again?"

"I'll try to see you sometimes in your dreams."

"Can you do that?"

"I can try."

"I'll miss you so much…"

"I'll miss you too… But I'll be with you in spirit, you know. Just because I'm gone physically doesn't mean I'm gone forever…"

"It still doesn't compare to having you here with me, by my side…"

"I know, Cloud, but it's the best we can do…"

"I'm so sad to see you go again…"

"I'm sad that every time we have to part it's because of the same circumstances…" Aeris paused. She tookin a sharpbreath and slowlywhispered the words, "The earth."

"What? Earth?"

"They're talking to me."

"What are they saying?"

"… Twenty minutes."

"Until…"

"Yes."

"… … There isn't much time left." His hands were shaking.

"I know."

"This is it."

"I'm sorry, Cloud, that I have to keep bringing up your expectations like this."

"Don't be sorry… I'm the one who couldn't protect you again… The last time was because I was too weak, and now I can't even find a way to cure you… I love you so much… I give up…"

"There's no giving up in love." Aeris looked at Cloud with her beautiful, sad, eyes.

"… I'll take my life to be with you!"

"No! Don't do it, Cloud. You don't know how many people you'll hurt! You don't know who you'll hurt…"

"I don't care… Now I don't have anything left… I really won't!"

"What kept you alive last time?"

"Knowing that I had to kill Sephiroth and avenge you… That's what. But now…"

"Cloud there's so much worth living for! Don't be stupid and make it worse!"

"I need you."

"I love you."

"So let me be with you! I want to be with you and protect you! Don't you understand?"

"I do… But sometimes we have to do things alone. I can't bring you with me. It's not your time. You still have another person to attend to… Don't _you _understand? Oh, Cloud. I love you so much… But we have to let it go… Please…" Aeris reached out and pulled him into a gentle hug. She kissed him on his head.

"Aeris…" Cloud bent in low and kissed her very softly on the lips and pulled away. He was only inches away from her face. He took in all of her beautiful features. "I'm afraid."

"… So am I, Cloud. So am I."

**Downstairs**

"Vincent, I'm gonna call Tifa, alright?" Yuffie said. Vincent had just finished explaining what they had found, and Yuffie immediately knew they had to contact Tifa.

"I'll do it."

"Why?"

"… I just have to."

"Alright…" Yuffie and Vincent knew Tifa the best, and also knew that for some reason she would rather hear it from Vincent.

Vincent picked up the phone and pushed in Tifa's number that was left on the caller-ID. He braced himself for eight long rings before a tired but soothing voice picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Tifa… You have to come back."

"What happened? How's Aeris?" Tifa sounded worried.

"She…" Vincent went on to explain.

"Hello?" He had not gotten a response for a long while.

"… I'm coming over." Tifa's voice was muffled and breathy. He was shocked to hear that she was crying.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… Yeah. I just… I have to talk to Aeris."

"Okay. How are you going to get here?"

"My chocobo will only take five minutes or so. I'll be over soon."

"See you." Vincent heard Tifa click off the line and he did the same. He turned to Yuffie who was staring at him expectantly. "It's alright… She's coming now."

"Good."

"Where is everyone else?"

"Asleep."

"I see."

"They told me to wake them if something happens."

"Are you alright?"

"… I'm fine, why?"

"You don't look too good, Yuffie. You're flushed and seem anxious."

"I'm alright I said."

"You know you can tell me."

"… Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"… I'm worried."

"For who?"

"Tifa… And Cloud. And Aeris."

"Why?"

"Because… She loves him. She loves him with all her heart and it's crazy."

"Who?"

"Tifa… She loves him a lot. You know why she's coming back, don't you?"

"Hm…"

"She loves him and doesn't want to know he's sad. She wants to be there for him even though the only person he's ever there for is Aeris."

"Oh."

"Don't you even care?"

"Of course I do, it's just that –"

Vincent was interrupted by a loud banging. The front door had crashed open and shut and the light footsteps of a woman could be heard. Tifa appeared disheveled around the kitchen door. Yuffie gasped and hugged her, while Vincent followed close.

"How is she doing?"

"Fine… She's talking to Cloud right now; do you want to go peek in?" Yuffie asked.

"Uh, I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Who cares, we all gotta talk to her!" Yuffie laughed half-heartedly. "You have to talk to her too, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then come on, let's go, no point in waiting!"

"…Okay."

Tifa and Yuffie sprinted up the staircase and stopped short at Aeris' room. Yuffie pressed her ear up against the door and only heard a quiet silence. She creaked open the door and found Cloud and Aeris staring at each other. And then they both snapped their eyes to the door at the sound of it opening.

"There's only twenty minutes," Cloud croaked out, his eyes bloodshot, "… Only twenty…"

"Oh, oh, no… This is horrible, I'm going to wake the others. I'm so sorry to interrupt… But Tifa just got here. She wants to talk with you."

_Me? Why would she want to talk to me? _Cloud's mind raced. _What's happening? _But then Tifa stepped into the room and smiled apologetically at Cloud.

"I'm sorry, Cloud. I have to talk to Aeris."

"Oh." Cloud appeared misplaced, but cleared his throat. "Well, okay, I'll come back later." He stood up and walked out of the room. Yuffie closed the door and left Tifa standing in the room, with Aeris staring nonchalantly at her.

"What'd you want to talk about?"

"…I… Are you really going again?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I'm really going to miss you, Aeris."

"I'll miss you too, Tifa."

"I'm sorry that you and Cloud had only a small amount of time to be together… This time I really thought it would last longer, you know? Maybe finally that something would settle down in this place."

"God knows when we'll find peace like that… I wish it could've lasted longer… But since it's not going to, there's no point in making it worse, I think."

"Yeah, but aren't you sad at all? You seem so casual about it."

"Tifa, you know if you were me you'd be the same way. I know how you like to see others happy even if you aren't."

"Haha, you're right."

"Well, that's not the _real _reason you wanted to talk huh?"

"Err… What do you mean?" Tifa blushed. She knew Aeris always liked to get to the point, and she was always put off by how blunt Aeris was. Of course, she still loved her.

"Tifa…" Aeris lowered her voice, "I know… I know you love Cloud."

"H-ho-why would you think that I l-love Cloud?"

"Because, Tifa… I'm more perceptive than you think. I see how much you love him, don't think… Don't think I haven't noticed."

Tifa hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I hope you don't think I'm stealing him from you! Because I'm not, I—"

"Tifa, it's okay," Aeris let out a small laugh, "Cloud and I… Cloud and I were never meant to be."

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"Gaea… Earth… They speak to me. They tell me we were never meant to be… Cloud and I, why would we be torn apart twice if we were supposed to be together?"

"But… But, you love each other. True, true, love!"

"No… Tifa… Take care of Cloud when I'm gone, alright?"

"He… He loves you, Aeris. Even if I do love him… I have to accept the fact that—that he only loves you." Tifa's shame deepened and she felt sick with herself. The tears welled up under her eyelids and she blinked furiously. "I don't want to ruin what I'm not meant to have…" Her voice shook and the tears rolled.

"He loves you, I think."

"No, he doesn't. Why would he? How would you know?"

"I asked him earlier if he ever loved anyone else."

"And?"

"He said 'no'."

"Oh."

"But, right before he said no his eyes flickered toward that photo." Aeris pointed at a picture of Tifa at the wedding when she had taken a photo with Vincent. "He mouthed the word 'Tifa'."

"But he loves you…" Tifa felt so confused and sick. She had always craved confirmation on the fact that at least at one point Cloud had feelings for her too, but now…

"… Tifa…"

"I'm going to miss you, Aeris." She said.

"Oh, Tifa… I'll miss you too." Aeris smiled warmly at her. "Everyone's waiting outside the door… Would you mind?"

Tifa smiled back wearily and opened the door to find that Aeris had been quite right; Cid, Vincent, Cloud, and the others were all gathered outside the bedroom door, hoping to see Aeris. They had obviously been told about there only being twenty minutes left. The somber group walked in and sat quietly around the room. There was no playful bickering or teasing or flirting tonight. Aeris sat up and smiled at each and every one of them.

The time was ticking away, and she had only ten minutes left now. She wanted to make the best of these moments, because she knew from the point where she returned to the lifestream, there was no coming back.

**A/N: **Wow this was a long chapter… Or maybe it's just me. Well, REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.  
Hmmm, well, let's get some more reviews! And I'm really sorry for the long wait... I've been grounded from the computer, haha. But yeah, I want to get one hundred reviews! So keep reviewing people!

**Chapter 12**

Silence drifted over the group like a heavy fog. Tifa gazed at Aeris, tears welling up in her eyes. This time was different for all of them. This time, they _knew _she was going to die. They also knew that the reason why she was suffering again was because they had brought her back to life. In a way, the reason why she had all this pain was because of them. It was technically their fault. Tifa felt nauseous with guilt and sadness.

"Ten minutes." Cloud's voice brought the rest of the group back. They had all been lost in their own minds for the past moments.

"Um…" Everyone turned their eyes to Aeris and listened closely. "Everyone… I want to tell you all what I should've said before… … I love you all so much. I want to thank each and every one of you for what you did for me… Every time I always seemed to get myself into so much trouble, and I'm so sorry for always bringing problems to our group… But… I want to you all to know that you all have helped me become a better person. You all make my life worth living. These past few weeks, you've all made my life feel so peaceful and finally complete… Something my childhood never had and something I've always wanted…

"I love all of you so much, you have no idea. Over our journey, you've all given me something worthwhile in my life… I… I'm going to miss every single one of you…" Tears started to roll down Aeris' cheeks, "Thank you so much for going through so much trouble to bring me back… I never should've run away in the first place…

"Cid, thank you so much for helping us out so much during our journey with the Highwind and the Tiny Bronco… I'm going to miss you and your temperament so much," Aeris let out a soft laugh, which Cid replied to with a small smile. "Yuffie, Vincent, you two are such characters. Yuffie I love your outgoing personality and how incredibly blunt you are. You bring a good perspective to life when you're not stealing materia. And Vincent, you're so quiet and smart and strong… I'll miss you both.

"Barrett, thank you so much for always being by my side and helping me out… Red, Reeve, you two are so brave. I love both of you so much… I love all of you." Aeris patted Red on the head and smiled brightly at all of her friends.

"Tifa… You're my best friend. You've always been here for me and Cloud ever since the beginning and I have to say I'm jealous of your spirit… I'm going to miss you so much…" Aeris reached for Tifa and pulled her into a tight hug. Tifa buried her head in Aeris' hair and let the tears soak into it. She kissed Aeris on the cheek and retreated to the other bed. She looked up and her eyes met Cloud's, who quickly looked away.

"Cloud, I—" Aeris began to cough, and she grasped at her neck and fell forward.

Cloud quickly sat down beside her on the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her. "It's okay, you don't have to talk." He whispered throatily in her ear. "We understand." His friends nodded weakly. He couldn't look them in the eyes. Cloud leaned Aeris back on the bed and leaned over her.

Aeris feebly reached out with a pale hand and held Cloud's face. She was trembling all over and Cloud could feel her body temperature dropping. He hung his head in sadness and felt the tears drip from his eyes onto her cheeks, where her own tears mixed with them. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Aeris' kind eyes gazing back at him.

"Aeris… I'm so sorry; I was supposed to be your bodyguard… Now look at what I've done…" He murmured softly, trying hard to choke back his tears.

"Cloud, don't say that…"

Tifa stared at Cloud. The tears that trickled down her cheek weren't for herself; they were for Cloud. It was for his pain, his suffering that he had to endure not once but twice. The loss of his only love made Tifa hurt too. She couldn't bear to see Cloud like this. He didn't deserve it.

Tifa could feel Yuffie watching her. She turned around, and Yuffie gave her a sad smile. Yuffie knew Tifa was torn apart right now, and she wanted to comfort her. But Tifa sent her back a telepathic message saying that these last ten minutes were to be focused on Aeris.

But there was only one minute.

"Cloud…" Aeris began, "I love you… And this time we had was so special, never look back with regret… you'll see… You'll see it was all worth it…"

"Aeris!" Aeris' hand fell to her side and her breathing became shallow and quick. She looked in pain. Cloud leaned over her.

"No, no, no, no… No… Aeris… I love you!" He said in desperation. He grasped for her hands and she held on tightly to his. She groaned in pain and she felt beads of sweat trickle down her forehead. Tears clouded her vision.

"Cloud… Cloud, I… I…" There was a note of panic in her voice. _I love you, Cloud! I love you and I've always needed you by my side… _She wanted to scream. But she couldn't. She couldn't finish her sentence. Her bright green eyes grew dim and cold. Cloud could feel her hand go limp. He slowly lowered himself onto her body.

"Rest well, my love." Cloud whispered to her empty frame. "I'll miss you." He stood up and took a seat at the end of her bed.

The eight friends all looked at Aeris' now lifeless body. An innocent peace stole over them as they gazed at the last Cetra. Yuffie lowered her head onto Vincent's shoulder and cried. Cid shook his head slowly and lit a cigarette with a trembling hand and looked out the window. Tifa and Cloud were the only two people who didn't stop staring at Aeris.

Finally, Cloud spoke. "We… We should bury her."

"I'll dig a hole in the back." Red commented, before slinking out of the room. Tifa noticed he brushed away a tear with his paw. The other friends followed Red's path to help him dig a grave, while Tifa stayed behind.

Tifa stared at the ground, the tears overflowing and dripping onto her thighs. She watched, detached as they soaked onto her skirt. _She didn't deserve to die. Cloud loves her and he's been hurt so much already. I should've been the one to die, if any. Oh, Cloud… Please don't do anything rash… I know you'll miss her, but don't forget we all care too… Oh, I'll miss her so much. _Tifa glanced up at Cloud. But Cloud was still staring at Aeris. He couldn't meet Tifa's eyes…

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Yuffie ran in and nodded to Cloud to show that they were finished. He thanked her and she left. Cloud slowly reached over and picked Aeris up, her head hanging back over his arm and her cold legs dangling over his other. He trailed out of the room. Tifa followed suit.

As Cloud walked into the backyard, a cool breeze washed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back. He opened his eyes and stared at the starry sky. Everything was all wrong. He couldn't focus. _Aeris should be here beside me. She shouldn't have died. _He descended the dirt stair case that Red had carved out for him. He couldn't do it. It was the Forgotten City all over again. His friends all lined up solemnly beside the giant, rectangular hole in the ground.

"Aeris…" Cloud lay her body down gently. With one last kiss on her lips, he turned around. He slowly walked out of the hole. His mouth was trembling and his hands were shaking. He could feel Tifa's eyes on him, silently urging him to turn and talk to her. But he didn't. He couldn't.

**Later**

In the middle of the night, Cloud slipped out of his room. He softly padded down the staircase, only one thought in his mind. _Aeris… _She visited him in his dreams. After the funeral, he had retreated to his room and had fallen asleep, his face dirty with tear stains. Then he had been haunted by their memories together.

"_What rank were you?" Aeris was atop the toy at the playground in the slums. Cloud was sitting beside her._

"_Rank?"_

"_You know, in SOLDIER."_

"_Oh, I was… First Class."_

"_Just the same as him."_

"_The same as who?"_

"_My first boyfriend."_

"_You were… serious?"_

"_No. But I liked him for a while."_

"_I probably knew him. What was his name?"_

"_It doesn't really matter." _It was Zack, Cloud told his dream. _It was Zack._

---

"_I learned a lot. The elders taught me many things. About the Cetra... And the Promised Land... I'm... alone... I'm all alone now..." Aeris murmured to Cloud while they sat around the bonfire in Cosmo Canyon._

"_But I'm... we're here for you, right?"_

"_I know. I know, but... I am the only... Cetra." _I wanted to say 'I'm here for you'. But I couldn't.

As Cloud stepped out of the glass backdoor, he was already focused on what he had come out for. The fresh dirt from Aeris' burial was soft under his feet. They sunk in when he stepped. Cloud stood for a moment before curling up and breathing in the earthy scent of the ground. He wanted to just lay there for the rest of eternity with Aeris. He could do it.

"I love you. I know, I know… I haven't said it enough. Aeris, are you listening? I love you." He listened to the earth. She was speaking to him. He let his eyes close and he felt finally warm and at peace.

**Meanwhile**

"Oh, Tifa…" Yuffie reached out and grabbed Tifa's foot. Tifa didn't pull away but instead let Yuffie give her a foot massage.

"I feel so bad."

"Why?"

"She said to me, 'Don't think I haven't noticed'."

"Noticed…"

"That I love Cloud!"

"We all know."

"But not him."

"True…"

"I just… She said I have to take care of him…"

"Well, duh."

"Duh?"

"Of course you have to take care of him… You are his best friend…"

"But he doesn't act like it!"

"You know he loves you anyway… You're the only person he's opened up to."

"Yeah, well…"

"Aeris knows what she's talking about."

"But she said her and Cloud weren't meant to be."

"Then they weren't."

"But…"

"No buts! You know Aeris knows what she's talking about."

"…"

"Trust me…"

"I do… It's just, well, how can everyone _not _think they were meant for each other? Aeris and Cloud, Cloud and Aeris. They're meant to be with each other."

"Well, maybe you and Cloud were meant for each other." Yuffie said a little matter-of-factly. Tifa pulled her feet away slowly.

"If we were meant to be you and I wouldn't be having this conversation right now, huh?"

"Fate works in strange ways…"

"We're not talking about fate. We're talking about cold hard love."

"Love is only hard if you make it that way."

"Aeris needn't have died."

"I know."

"We didn't have to…"

"I know."

"But…"

"He loves her."

"I know Cloud loves her… It's hard to watch, because she's done absolutely nothing wrong, and even though I love Aeris with all my heart, it still hurts me even more to see that my best friend is in love with him. But he loves her too and I have no right to try and get between something that doesn't have anything to do with me."

"There isn't anything to get between anymore… He has to move on eventually."

"Don't be so rash, Yuffie. You know it's not that easy…"

"Yeah, well, people have to move on. Life goes on, yada yada…"

"Hm…"

"I'll miss her, though."

"Me too."

**Later**

Cloud awoke some time later, when he could see a faint glow of the sun over the horizon. He glanced at his cell phone. _3:49… _He wanted to go back to sleep and never wake up. But he couldn't. What had she always told him? _Be strong, Cloud… Don't be like this. Isn't it enough that I love you and that you love me? _Cloud shook his head on the ground. _It will never, ever, be enough… _He closed his eyes and let more tears soak into the soft earth below him. Suddenly he remembered something Aeris had said. _There's another who you need to care for. Who? _Cloud's eyes flew open and he looked up at the mansion. His eyes focused in on his dear friend's window. Moments later she opened the curtains and looked down at him. He looked up at her. _So that's who… _Cloud smiled.

**A/N: **Review! Come on people! It's not the end yet...


	13. Chapter 13

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking.  
Reviewwwwww! Vincent is hot. Yay!

**Chapter 13**

Tifa's whole body shook as she made her way down the staircase. She had just looked out the window at Aeris' grave to see Cloud lying down on the soft ground. He looked at her and smiled, and she couldn't take it. She bolted down the stairs and out the front door, banging it shut. The sun wasn't out yet, and the stars still shown brightly above her. They winked coldly down at her, as if mocking her. Tifa ran to the well and sat on the ledge where she used to sit as a kid to stare up at the sunrise.

Out of breath from sprinting from her room, she sat still and took in deep breaths of the fresh mountain air. Tifa wasn't sure how to feel. She tried to figure her life out from a distance; that's how she'd always been. She tried to figure out what she was feeling from a cold and distant perspective. She was always too afraid to get too wrapped up in her emotions, because she was afraid she would upset someone.

"Tifa?" Tifa heard a soothing voice say. She had grown to love that voice, but at this moment she despised it.

"Hi, Cloud…"

"How are you?"

Tifa turned and offered Cloud a genuine smile. "I'm… I'm alright. How are _you?_" Tifa paused as she watched Cloud nimbly perch on the ledge beside her. He glanced up at the stars. He turned and finally looked at her.

"I… I miss her." Cloud glanced over at Tifa and gave her a peculiar look. She returned it when he suddenly said, "Hey… Do you remember how we made our promise here? I promised to be your knight." Cloud said. Tifa was surprised he changed the subject so quick, but she wasn't about to force the topic of his dead loved one back on him.

"How could I forget?"

"Sometimes I think you do forget."

"I'm not the one who forgot…"

"What do you mean?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud. Sorry about that."

"Tifa… I'm tired of you doing this…"

"What?" Tifa blushed and looked downwards. Now she couldn't look at him.

"I want you to tell me what's on your mind."

"Well… Cloud…"

"Come on, Tifa. It's me, Cloud. Your best friend. You can tell me anything."

Tifa let out a small laugh. _I can tell you anything, huh? How would you respond if I told you I love you? _She quickly glanced at him. She took a deep breath.

"Well… It's just, you promised to be Aeris's bodyguard, but… But you never remembered about being my knight… But that really doesn't matter anymore…" Tifa felt bad. She hoped Cloud wasn't taking this all the wrong way, so she hastily added, "I mean, Cloud, you have a lot on your mind. How about we go back in? I'll make you some tea or something… Cloud?"

Cloud was staring dejectedly at the stars, tears trailing down his cheeks. When Tifa said his name, he squeezed his eyes shut and then let his head fall. Tifa had never seen him look as helpless as he did at that moment. She wanted to kiss him on the forehead and tell him that it was okay and that she would hold him tight, if that's what he needed.

"I'm so sorry, Tif. I never meant to hurt you …"

"I know, you don't mean to hurt me. It's okay, I trust you." _I love you._

"Thanks, Tifa… You always know exactly what I need." _How come you don't know that I need you?_

"Haha, well… Um, Cloud? I'm so sorry about Aeris, I know… I know you love her…" Her voice wobbled at the end.

"I do… I really do. I miss her so much… I love her more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. She completes me; she's the girl I can open up to about anything, anytime, anywhere." Cloud took a deep breath. "I'll miss her. I thought… I thought finally I had something stable in my life. Some reliable figure that I could always have, constantly and always there for me, that's what I wanted from her. But now I realize that that's not how it's gonna be. She's gone… And although she'll be with me in spirit, how can I say that that is a comfort?

I love her more than anything… I miss her so much… She was going to be my wife forever, someone I could spend the rest of my life with." Tears streamed down Cloud's face now. He never used to cry, but now it seems like there was never a moment when he _wasn't _crying. Tifa reached out and pulled Cloud into a hug. He breathed in the scent of her hair, which smelled like vanilla. He finally pulled away. He looked down at his arms that he had just used to hug Tifa. "I'll never get to hold her again…"

"Cloud, oh, I'm so sorry…" Tifa cooed. She wanted to help him desperately. And at the same time, she wanted to bash him over the head. The two sat in silence.

Tifa felt like shouting, _I've always been here for you! I could be your reliable figure… Cloud, you can spend the rest of your life with me… _But she didn't, she wouldn't. This wasn't about her, it was about Cloud. And as much as she wanted to help herself, she had always been the kind of person to help others first.

**Flashback**

_"Hey, it's the ice cream man!" One of Tifa's friends shouted. He raced ahead of the group and fell flat on his face when he tripped on a stone. "Ouch!" The rest of their friends raced by, laughing at him. He sat up and tried not to cry while grabbing onto his shin. Tifa ran over and helped him up._

_"Are you okay?" She asked, giving him a warm hug. He couldn't help but start crying._

_"It hurts soooo bad!" His knee started to bleed profusely._

_"Oh, we have to go get your mommy!"_

_"I- I can't move!"_

_"I'll go get her, don't try and move then!" Tifa shouted as she raced off. His mother was in a nearby house and immediately raced back with Tifa and picked up her son. Tifa glanced at the kids who were gathered around the ice cream man's truck, and noticed there were quite a few children. The ice cream guy would be there for awhile, so Tifa sprinted to go and see how her friend was doing._

_Tifa knocked on the door of her friend's home and his mother answered._

_"Hello, Tifa. Come on in, I'm sure Cloud will be happy to see you."_

_"Cloud!" She exclaimed. She ran over to the couch that Cloud was sitting on, with a white bandage wrapped around his leg. "Cloud, are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine." Cloud mumbled. He was so embarrassed that he had been laughed at. He didn't want Tifa feeling bad for him either, just because of that. "You don't have to stay."_

_"Oh, but I'm worried about you! Don't you want to get ice cream?"_

_"…Yeah, yeah, I do."_

_"Let's go then! Can you walk now?"_

_"Uhh, lemme try." Cloud hopped off the couch and wobbled unsteadily on his legs._

_"Don't worry, I'll help you walk there!" Tifa didn't wait for a response and looped her arm under Cloud's. He blushed and let Tifa help him._

_By the time Tifa and Cloud got to the ice cream man, they were the only two left. Tifa smiled brightly up at the man, who smiled back at her._

_"Ummm, umm, can I get a vanilla ice cream cone?" She asked._

_"Me too." Cloud chimed in._

_"Yes, one moment." The man disappeared for a second and then came back, frowning. "I'm sorry, we're all out of ice cream except for one scoop of vanilla."_

_"Oh, no!" Tifa exclaimed. "Cloud, you can have it! Mr. Ice Cream Man, please get him a scoop."_

_"Right away, little lady. Your total will be five gil."_

_"Okie dokie, here you go!" Tifa reached out to give the man five gil and then took the ice cream from his hand. She handed it kindly to Cloud. "Thank you Mr. Ice Cream Man!"_

_"No problem, have a nice day!" He drove away and Cloud stood, staring at his ice cream that Tifa handed to him._

_"Cloud? Don't you want it?"_

_"Yes, but you didn't have to give it to me. You also didn't have to buy it."_

_"I wanted to, Cloud."_

_"Well… Let's go back to my house, my leg's starting to hurt."_

_"Okie." Tifa slipped her arm under Cloud's again and together they made their way back to Cloud's home. His mother opened the door for them, and they sat together on the couch._

_"Here, Tifa, you can share the ice cream with me."_

_"No way! It's for you!"_

_"I won't eat it unless you eat it too!"_

_"Fine…" Tifa giggled and thanked Cloud's mom as she handed her a spoon. Cloud and Tifa both dug in._

_"Tifa, why did you buy the ice cream for me?" Cloud asked when his mother was gone._

_"I wanted to, that's why."_

_"But, why?"_

_"Because… Because I l-like yo—" Tifa was suddenly interrupted by her guy friends. They were at Cloud's window, shouting in._

_"Come on, Tifa! Don't hang out with that loser, come hang out with us!"_

_"Uh, uh…"_

_"Come on!"_

_"I'll be right out." Tifa turned to Cloud who was frowning. She gave him a quick hug and said, "I'll see you later…"_

_"Bye…"_

_Tifa sprinted out the door. Cloud stared at the empty ice cream bowl in front of him._

_"I wish she stayed. I like her." Then Cloud started to cry for reasons he didn't quite understand._

**End Flashback**

"But you know what?" Cloud asked, breaking Tifa out of her reverie.

"What?"

"No one understands how much I miss her, how much I need her to be sane. I love her and she completes me… But no one gets it, and it hurts so much…"

Cloud looked over at Tifa with sparkling tears dripping down his cheeks. His mako eyes seemed more intense and wary than Tifa had ever seen. It hurt her to see Cloud looking so heartbroken and so sad. But it hurt her even more to think that while Cloud was crying over the love of his life, all Tifa could do was look on. And to make it worse, she was staring into the mako eyes of the one man that she would ever love, and watching him as he cried over the one Cetra he would ever have feelings for. Tifa finally snapped. She started to cry uncontrollably. Cloud's eyes widened with a look of panic and worry. He put his arm around her while wiping his tears away with his other hand.

"Tifa?"

"C-Cloud…" Tifa jumped off the well. "I'll see you later, okay?" She ran towards the mountain pass, seeking a quiet place to collect her thoughts, away from others. Away from her friends who would only remind her of the one person she couldn't have. To her dismay, she heard Cloud's footsteps behind her.

"Tifa!"

"Go back, Cloud!"

"Tifa, wait!"

Tifa continued to run, but then turned around. She gasped when she felt the ground slip away beneath her. She tried to find a foothold, but she couldn't. Her foot slipped on the gravelly ground and then her other foot slid down with it. She let out a scream and tried to dig her hands as a last resort into the ground, but to no avail. _I'm going to fall. And I'm going to die. And he's never going to know. _But then to her relief, she stopped falling. Her right hand had gotten a hold of a rock jutting out of the ground, and for a second she was afraid it wouldn't hold. But then she noticed it was buried deep into the ground. She was safe, for the moment.

Tifa looked around and looked for something to help pull herself up. But the rest of the mountain was smooth and as hard as she tried, she couldn't get a firm grasp on anything. And then she looked down. _Big, big mistake. _The blackness had no end. She couldn't make out the bottom, and she was afraid. The fear started taking over her.

"Cloud?" She screamed. "Cloud, where are you?" Her voice became a whisper, "Cloud… Come find me, please…" Tifa reached out with her left hand and gripped the other side of the rock and tried to pull her body out, but even her legs and feet weren't strong enough. She couldn't find a foothold strong enough or wide enough to support her weight, even if she were to rely on the hold for only a few moments. She was helpless. "Cloud…"

_I can't let go, I can't let go, I can't… I have to tell him before I can let go. _Tifa felt her grip on the rock slipping away, and she couldn't hold on. She prepared herself for the fall, although she knew deep down she'd never be ready. Not until he knew that she loved him.

**A/N: **Ooh, the suspense. Review! I love you all, but I'd love you even more if you reviewed. Thanks for sticking with the story! I swear it'll be really awesome later… I hope. Well please review! Only a couple chapters left...


	14. Chapter 14

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking. So I decided to drastically change the storyline one random Thursday. So this is going to take longer than I thought, but hey, who's complaining?

This chapter is going to be really short, at least compared to the other ones. Sorry about that! And it took me a while to update, but I mean, there aren't any reviews… Well thank you to all my dedicated ones who review every chapter. I love you guys so much!

**Chapter 14**

"Help! Hello? Is anyone there!" Tifa cried out. Her hands became sweaty with her nervous anticipation at the events that would soon unfold. Either she would fall to her death, or someone, hopefully Cloud, would come and rescue her just like a knight in shining armor would do. "Cloud?" She meekly called. Her voice echoed through the night.

"Is anybody out there? Somebody! Anybody… … Help me…" Tifa hung her head. Small tears struggled as they formed under her eyelids and started to seep down her cheeks. It was the dead of night. Of course no one was there, because no one would be awake at that hour. _Cloud? Where did you go? You were right behind me a few minutes ago…_ "Where are you, Cloud? Where could you be?"

_I can't let it end like this… I have to try harder! _Tifa mustered up all of her energy and pulled her body up using her strong arms. She tottered over the edge of the rock, and for a moment, she felt that she could maybe swing her legs over. She used all of her arm muscles to hold her up, because she knew she wouldn't be able to stay up for more than a few seconds. She threw her right leg up as hard as she could, hoping to hook her leg on the mountain.

But as her leg hit the mountain, she realized she had underestimated the height of the mountain to her right. Her foot bounced mercilessly off the side and the force of her leg swung back and brought the rest of her body with her. Tifa's fingers strained to keep hold on the rock. She felt the scratchy surface of the rock leave her hands. She let out a loud scream, as she fell from the rock that she had so desperately held onto. She felt the air rush past her and she felt the tears that left her eyes quickly, only to rush off her face. And then she felt nothing.

**Meanwhile**

"Yuffie? Yuffie! Yuffie wake up, right now!" Cloud hissed through the bedroom door. He knocked hard on the door, and when he heard Yuffie stumbling around the room, he backed away. A moment later, she threw the door open, looking grumpy.

"What do you want! Do you know what time it is?" She hissed back.

"I don't care. I need to get something from you. You have those… Those letters. Tifa's letters that she keeps… I know she gave them to you. The letters!"

"Letters? What?"

"The letters! The letters that I had written to her so many years ago, after I left Nibelheim. Where are they?" Cloud asked loudly. He walked past Yuffie and walked to the dresser that contained half of Tifa's old belongings.

"I don't know what you're talking about… Cloud… Where is Tifa?" Yuffie asked, still in dream land.

"Tifa… She's out somewhere in the mountains. I have to bring these to her…"

"Why?" Yuffie asked.

Cloud paused. He looked down at the various items in the drawer beneath him. A beautifully decorated music box sat quietly in the corner, with a few old pictures spread out near it. He didn't know what to say. Why did he really need them? _I need to show her… I have to shower her that I still care about her. I still love her… Like I always have. _He slowly slid the drawer shut and opened the second one down.

Quickly, Cloud rummaged through the old memories. Photos and old mementos of his childhood he had shared with Tifa were pushed aside. Finally, his hands closed around a few old envelopes. He pulled them out and opened them, quickly scanning the letters that he had written so long ago, when he was still in love with Tifa. When she meant more than a friend to him. It was so long ago, but yet at that moment it felt so close, as if the feelings had never faded.

"Cloud?" Yuffie asked.

Startled, he backed up and turned to face her. He put the letters in his pocket, wrinkling them a little. He stared into her eyes and drew his eyebrows together in deep concentration. He chose his words carefully.

"I… I have to… remind her… that it'll be okay." He quickly made for the door.

"Wait! Cloud? What happened!" Yuffie almost screeched. She tried not to wake up the others, but she wasn't so sure it would work. "Come back here!" She screamed, abandoning all care.

"Bye, Yuffie!" Cloud replied, before running down the stairs and bolting out the door.

Cloud set out through the night into the mountains. The stars twinkled down at him. Cloud sighed and looked out to the mountains. He slowly crinkled the letters in his pocket, and then kept walking, as fast as ever. He had someone to go to. Someone who was always waiting.

**The Mansion**

"Yuffie, what the hell did you think you were doing, screaming in the middle of the night!" Barrett chastised Yuffie. The six of the remaining friends were seated in the living room, wearing their nightclothes.

Yuffie, dressed in her light green bathrobe and matching slippers, angrily glared at him. Vincent and Reeve sat in their boxers, not even chilled by the slightly cold temperature of the house. Cid and Barrett, both in sweats and t-shirts, had matching red eyes and angry mutterings coming from their mouths.

"Where are Cloud and Tifa?" Vincent asked calmly. His friends turned to look at him, and when they saw Vincent staring at Yuffie, waiting for an answer, they all followed suit.

"Uhh… Honestly? I have no idea. Cloud came into my room earlier looking for some letters he had written to Tifa a long time ago, after he had left to become as famous as Sephiroth.. And now they're off in the mountains. But really, that's all I know."

"So what the hell happened?" Cid replied, shaking his fist as he puffed his joint.

"I don't know! I told you that already!" Yuffie exclaimed, fuming mad. The rest of the friends started to talk amongst themselves.

Vincent sat quietly in the corner, deep in thought.

_Why would they be in the mountains? What would Cloud need his old letters for? Why are they out in the middle of the night?_ He concentrated hard. _Perhaps she ran away to the mountains, because she got tired of Cloud's constant Aeris obsession. Or maybe they have realized they are still in love as ever?_ _The old letters… From when he was going to… When he was in love with her… He still loves her. He must. There is no other explanation… But does he know it himself? Does Cloud Strife know that he still loves Tifa Lockheart?_

**Meanwhile**

_Where is she? _Cloud looked around wildly. He had been walking for some time now, and there was no trace of Tifa. He called her name many times. His throat ached.

"Tifa? Tifa? Where are you?" He yelled as loud as he could.

The whistling wind brought him back nothing but a cold breeze. Cloud walked back to the entrance of the mountain's pass, staring at the ground. He scanned the mountains before him, squinting his bright mako eyes in concentration. He searched for any hint of Tifa. He was starting to get worried. _Where could she have gone? _Cloud shook his head. He thought of going back to the mansion. _But what if she is out here all alone? What if something attacked her? What if she's not okay…? _He would never forgive himself if he let her be alone out in the middle of the night.

Cloud stared at the ground as he walked forward. He could make out a few of Tifa's shoe imprints. _Maybe if I follow them… _Cloud's eyes followed her footprints until they made a mysterious stop. The gravelly road was kicked away in a direction, as if Tifa had fallen. Cloud stared in confusion, wondering where she had gone. And then things started to click.

"No!" He cried, staring over the edge of where Tifa had fallen. "She can't have… No… This can't be happening… Tifa couldn't have… What's the chance that she had fallen?"

Staring into the darkness below him, Cloud's stomach flipped. _But what if she did fall? _He decided that there would be no harm in looking. Besides, if she had fallen, then he would find her. And he could help her. Cloud quickly stood up and ran to the bridge that broke so many years ago, where Tifa had fallen and had fallen into a coma. Cloud shook his head free of the memories. He wouldn't let it happen again.

Cloud silently walked down the staircase that had been created right next to the bridge. The old concrete steps echoed loudly with each footstep. He walked on at a never changing pace. It reminded him a clock. _Tick-tock, tick-tock._ Every moment he wasted pounded him harder in the head. He was afraid. He had to find Tifa. He raced down the rest of the stairs and then towards the location where he estimated Tifa had fallen.

Snapping off a tree branch from a nearby maple tree, he quickly set it on fire with his materia. He had forgotten to bring a flashlight. The wind kept threatening to blow his makeshift torch out, but he was careful and kept it alight. Cloud kept walking, faster and faster, his heart beating erratically at the thought of what might happen next.

_What if she's not here? Then where would she be? What if she is here… What if she's dead…? _Lost in his thoughts, Cloud did not realize that suddenly before him, he had come upon Tifa lying motionless. When he realized that before him lied his childhood sweetheart, he immediately stopped thinking and threw himself to the ground.

"Tifa! Tifa!" He called out, holding her head in his lap. Tears started to form before he could stop them. "Tifa! Tifa are you alright?"

He shook Tifa lightly, trying to wake her up. Cloud shook uncontrollably. Teardrops dripped from his cheeks onto Tifa's motionless body.

"Tifa Lockheart! Please, wake up! Please… Tifa, I can't lose you… Tifa..." Cloud cried. He cried harder than he ever had in his life. "Tifa… … Please…"

When Tifa did not respond, Cloud lowered himself and rested his head on her shoulder. He let his tears soak up into her shirt and let all the emotions he had held inside him break free. He cried and cried, knowing inside that Tifa was all he ever wanted.

**A/N: **Alright, so this was pretty short. But I'm shortening my chapters so there are more, because I find it a lot easier to split it up like this. Sorry for the lack of updates, I really liked writing this chapter. Please review, it would mean so much to me!


	15. Chapter 15

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking. You guys really mean a lot to me because without all of your feedback I really wouldn't know how this story is going. Everything will be explained in due time!

**Chapter 15**

"I don't get it. What's going on here?" Barrett questioned, completely oblivious to what was happening. "Why is Cloud so concerned about Tifa?"

"They're friends." Reeve said bluntly, almost before Barrett could finish his question. "Unless you're asking why he's showing signs of…"

"Love?" Yuffie interjected, her eyes misty with delight. "Oh, but what if he loves her?"

"I thought he was in love with Aeris." Cid replied. "No one just changes who they 'love' overnight. This doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe he's feeling guilty. He has always had a big sense of pride and responsibility. He would never forgive himself, if say, Tifa had died out in the mountains. He considered himself her best friend, and as such, he knew he would have to protect her if the time came. Cloud thought that when Aeris died, it was his fault. You all knew he felt that way, correct? Well maybe now it's the same. Not completely the same, but similar enough where Cloud feels protective of Tifa. Maybe he loves her, maybe he doesn't. We don't really know," Vincent said, "but I strongly think that he may be in love with Tifa."

"How did you come up with all this? Why do you think he loves her?" Yuffie snapped quickly, wanting answers as quick as she could get them.

"I sort of understand what you're saying." Red replied to Vincent's statement. "May I?" He asked, and Vincent nodded. Red turned his head to Yuffie and started to answer her questions. "Yuffie… You understand how Cloud works in terms of guilt and responsibility, right?"

"Yeah, he always feels guilty if things happen to people. He always thinks that it's his fault. He always felt like he could've done something to prevent it, and even if people told him it was inevitable, he would go on feeling guilty. Is that right?" Yuffie replied.

"Correct. So, Tifa and Cloud have always been close. And I assume that we all know how Tifa feels towards Cloud. But we also know that she would never, ever admit it, whether it is because she is shy, or because she is afraid of rejection, or if she thinks that Cloud is in love with Aeris. And then we have Cloud, who indeed at one point was in love with Tifa, and also was recently in love with Aeris. When Cloud was a child, he was arrogant and proud, but also wanted to fit in. He told us so himself. Cloud did not tell Tifa how he felt at that time because she was so popular. And that we know from what Cloud told us on our journey to kill Sephiroth.

If Cloud's feelings for Tifa never changed from the point when he left here to go to Midgar, then we know that those feelings would not fade so easily, especially when he, by chance, came upon Tifa again. But he never knew if Tifa loved him or not. And when Aeris came along…" He stopped and put his head down in his paws. The bewitching silence was broken by a quiet Barrett.

"She was so friendly to him. She seemed so sweet at first." Barrett continued Red's soliloquy. He gazed forlornly at the blank space in front of him, words falling from his mouth. "Aeris was a brat at times, always wanting to come along with Cloud. I always knew that Tifa had fallen in love with him. She used to tell me back at Seventh Heaven about this guy named Cloud who she thought never loved her back. So I would tell her, 'Fuck him! He doesn't know what he's missing!' But you know, she still loved him anyway."

"Yeah, so, I don't get what the hell is happening here!" Cid barked, growing impatient.

"Long story short, it seems as if Cloud transferred his feelings for Tifa to Aeris because she obviously had had a thing for him from the beginning. I think he had never stopped loving Tifa, although he had definitely fallen in love with Aeris." Vincent said.

"I get that! But how do we know all of this is happening? This still isn't making any sense…" Yuffie whined. It was getting later and later, and she missed her comfortable bed. But this conversation was still interesting enough where she wanted to know every detail.

"This is just guesswork. I don't really know, but just look at what is happening here! Do you really doubt that Cloud has any feelings left for Tifa at all?" Vincent replied, almost angry. He himself had grown tired of this debate.

The rest of the group fell silent, until Yuffie shook her head slowly. She looked up into Vincent's eyes, unsure of what to say.

"Do you think they're alright?"

"I hope so."

**Meanwhile**

"Oh, Tifa…" Cloud whispered. "How could I have let this happen?" He picked her body up slowly and made his way through the dark. His steps heavy, Cloud could not depict which way his life would go at that point. "Tifa, if anything happens to you, I…"

He walked slowly up the concrete staircase, his heart weighing heavily upon him. He couldn't identify his feelings for Tifa anymore. With so many feelings swimming inside of him, Cloud slowly sought out the most obvious feelings he had for Tifa. He loved her as a best friend. That much was obvious. There was a part of him he never reached. There was something he knew he never figured out, but he had always preferred it to be hidden. He was too afraid to deal with it.

He was afraid because he knew if he went there he would have to go back. He would have to go back to the past he had left behind, along with all of his other regrets and mistakes. Cloud couldn't handle his own mistakes well, and he knew it. So he let himself live in his own comfortable world and he pretended like his life had always been the way he imagined.

"Tifa, please be okay." Cloud whispered, letting his words be lost in the wind. He finally reached the top of the staircase and wound his way around the mountain pass to the entrance of Nibelheim. As he stood under the streetlight on the corner right next to the outer gate of the mansion, he gazed down at Tifa, who was motionless in his arms.

Cloud gazed down at Tifa with a mixed look of remorse, love, and jealousy. He found that tears were once again flooding his eyes. He shook his head and walked into the gate, and then entered the front doors of the mansion.

"Cloud!" Yuffie called, running forward. She stopped short and stared at horror at Tifa's scratched up body. "Cloud, what happened to Tifa?!" At those words, Vincent and the others darted out of the adjacent room and came to Yuffie's side.

"What happened?" Vincent asked calmly, his eyes lingered on Tifa's motionless body, angry, and then moved to Cloud's tear-streaked face. Vincent's eyes softened at the sight of Cloud carrying his childhood sweetheart in his arms.

"She… I… I think… She fell off of the cliff… and I found her at the bottom. And… I don't know… I…" Cloud trailed off.

"We have to get a doctor." Red said calmly. He turned to Reeve and said, "Could you please call someone? I'm sure you must know someone who would come at this hour."

"Yes, of course. One minute." Reeve replied, before quickly walking away, his cell phone pressed against his ear.

**Later**

"She seems to have fallen into a coma… Her heart is still beating and her body seems to be functioning fine, but…" The doctor stopped for a minute, and then went on, "But there is no way to tell how long she'll be in this state. She could wake up any minute, but she could also be in a coma for a long time. If she has not woken up within three days, please call me again so I can see if anything else is wrong. But as of now, Tifa must be kept in this bed. Please check on her often to make sure nothing is wrong."

"Thank you, doctor." Cloud said quietly.

The doctor nodded and closed his medicine bag. He placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Take good care of her." He then walked and let himself out.

"Thanks again," Barrett called, "We'll call you if anything happens."

"Alright, good night!" The doctor called before disappearing down the street.

Reeve pushed the door closed behind him and then walked back up the stairs to Tifa's room, where everyone else sat quietly, crowding around her. He sat down near the door and waited. Everyone looked expectantly at Cloud.

"So what happened?" Yuffie asked, when Cloud did not offer any explanation.

"… It's all my fault… I shouldn't have stopped going after her. If I didn't come back here I could've saved her… … I could've saved her."

"Cloud… Don't be so hard on yourself." Cid replied. "You found her… What if you didn't go back?"

"I… I can't even imagine."

"Good."

"I'm really tired." Yuffie muttered.

"Yeah, so am I. We should get some rest." Barrett replied. The friends nodded and made their way to the door.

"But what about Tifa?" Cloud asked.

"She'll be okay. Cloud, if you feel uncomfortable leaving her, you may stay if you would like." Red answered him as he rounded the corner.

"…" Cloud gazed at Tifa for a moment and then stood up. He could come in at any time, he figured, so he decided to get some sleep in the meantime.

As Cloud lay in his bed, he felt angry. He couldn't sleep, but he was tired. He wanted to do so many things, but he couldn't. He didn't know what to do. He glanced at his clock, which read 5:06 AM. It was still very dark outside, with the stars still twinkling coldly down at Cloud.

**Meanwhile**

He turned off all of the lights in the house. Still in his boxers, he reached around his room for his jeans. He kicked off his bunny slippers and pulled on his socks and pants, and picked up a white wife-beater which he suspected belonged to another. _It's only five o'clock? It seems so much later. _He listened.

The house was completely quiet, with the exception of a few crickets from the backyard. He couldn't handle himself anymore. He opened his door and silently glided to the room three doors down from his. He opened it, and quickly drew breath.

There she was, lying peacefully as ever. Her chest rose up and down lightly, as her breathing grew deep. She looked as white as the sheets she slept under, with a slightly rosy color to her cheeks. Her chocolate brown hair wove around her. He touched her hair. It was glossy and silky, which was always how he remembered it. He kneeled close to the bed.

Her smooth hand dangled near the edge of the bed. He held her hand. His eyes shown brightly in the pale moonlight. He gazed down at her, his eyes soft with emotion.

He loved her. He knew he had fallen in love with her over the course of their journey. He couldn't help it. He wanted to tell her, but how could he ever do that? He wished that he could grab her, and yell, _I'm sorry! I made a mistake! I've always loved you! But I was always too afraid to show it because… _But he couldn't.

As much as he loved her, he didn't deserve her, he knew. She was perfect, she was an angel, and she was the woman that was perfect for him. But he realized it too late. He waited too long to realize his feelings. But all along, he knew, that it would never happen, because she was in love with someone else.

As Vincent Valentine looked longingly at Tifa's sleeping face, he felt tears rise under his eye lids. He loved her. He had always loved her, but he was afraid because of what happened with Lucrecia. He did not want to make more sins. He made the mistake of not trusting his feelings. But he also knew that this was counterintuitive. In order to trust his feelings, he had to trust that Tifa loved him back. But she didn't, and so he didn't either. She obviously loved Cloud, as anyone could see.

But Vincent didn't hold it against Tifa, because he could see how much she loved Cloud. He knew that she loved him with all of her heart, and for that he had given her credit. She taught him how to love again, without even trying. By simply being the woman she was, Tifa had made Vincent forget about being afraid. She made him forget about being hurt. She made him forget about his sins. But now he couldn't forget that smile, that laugh.

"I love you, Tifa." He whispered quietly. He kissed her lightly on the lips.

He stood up and walked out of her bedroom, closing her door behind him. He went back into his room and packed his things, and then made his way down the stairs.

"Good-bye."

And with that, he was gone.

**A/N: **Review, please! I would be so happy! I like this story a lot. Hehe, please review. Everything will be wrapped up in the end, as long as you all keep reviewing.


	16. Chapter 16

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking. You guys really mean a lot to me because without all of your feedback I really wouldn't know how this story is going. Everything will be explained in due time! And sorry for the really long non-updating part.

**Chapter 16**

"Doctor… She hasn't moved for three days now." Barrett mumbled.

"Hmm… Let me do some more… conclusive tests." The doctor replied, his eyes soft with worry. He could tell this woman meant more to these people than they could say. "I just need some time alone. Just a few minutes. But, I cannot be distracted."

"Yes, sir." Yuffie said sadly, before leaving the room. The door closed behind Reeve who was the last to leave.

"Why the hell can't we be in there?" Cid barked, somewhat loudly.

"Probably because he needs to focus on his tests." Red replied wearily, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"…"

"Where do you think Vincent has gone off to?" Yuffie asked. This question had been common in the past few days since Vincent's disappearance.

"… I don't know."

"Why would he leave?" Yuffie asked again.

"It doesn't matter. Vincent… Vincent will come back." Reeve replied.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Do you think Vincent would really leave like _that_? Forever?"

"… No." Yuffie answered. "But I don't get it…"

Before anyone could reply, the doctor opened up the door. They all turned to look at him. He had a slight smile on his face.

"I think she'll be alright. She should be awake in a few hours. I conducted a few tests, and she proved negative. This young woman will be alright soon."

"Thank you so much!" Yuffie beamed, handing the doctor his pay.

"Please call me if nothing happens in a day."

"Okay! Thanks!"

"Good-bye now."

"Bye."

Barrett shut the door. He turned himself around and glanced at the eager faces of his friends.

"Where did Cloud go?" He asked.

"Cloud went into Tifa's room after the doctor came out. He shut the door." Cid replied while jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

"Oh, I see…"

Yuffie smiled big. "Well, we should probably leave them alone at any rate, right!? He can figure out his love for her!"

**Meanwhile**

Cloud sat despondently on the floor right next to Tifa's bed. He rested his back against the wooden frame and let his head rest on the mattress, right next to Tifa's face. If he turned his head slightly he could see her beautiful face. He had always thought of her as beautiful. He had always loved her…

Cloud drifted off into sleep. Suddenly he was woken by a voice.

"Cloud!" A woman called.

He stood up, his eyes wild. He looked at Tifa, who was still asleep. That voice…

"Cloud!" She called again.

"… … Aeris…?"

"You remembered!"

"How could I forget?"

Aeris laughed that free, tinkly laugh she always used. Suddenly she appeared.

"Aeris!" He cried, reaching forward. She embraced him and he embraced her back. He then took a few steps back, looking her over. "How… How did you… Come back?"

"Silly, you brought me here!"_ She was always so genuinely happy._

"What?"

"I could feel you. You were telling me to come back!"

"I… I was?"

"Yeah, you were." Aeris smiled benignly at him. _She always had respect for others._

"Why?" He couldn't stop himself from saying that. Aeris smiled wider.

"You wanted my help, remember?"

"Remember…?"

"You wanted my help, Cloud."

"With what?" _She was always so patient._

"…" Cloud turned around and looked at Tifa lying motionless on the bed.

"Do you love me?" Aeris asked calmly, no waver in her voice, no pressure.

"Aeris, you know I do."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you being honest?" _She always helped me double-check myself._

"Why would I lie?"

"Cloud, I've forgiven you. Have you forgiven yourself?"

"…"

"It's alright. You'll be okay now, won't you?"_ She always made sure I was alright._

"…"

"You've got more important people to take care of, now."

"…"

"She can't wait around forever, you know." Aeris said. When Cloud didn't reply, she kept talking. "We're okay now. I'm alright. So are you. Cloud? Are you listening? It's all over."

"… Thanks, Aeris." Cloud looked up from the floor to find Tifa in Aeris' place. "Tifa?!"

"Cloud."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. Tifa, I…"

"It's alright. You would have saved me if you could."

"I'm glad you know."

"Of course I do."

"But Tifa… I…"

"What is it?"

"Tifa, I love—"

"Vincent!" Tifa cried. Cloud's eyes flew open, his head jolting upright. He was sitting in the same position as he had been. He turned around, to find Tifa sitting upright in her bed. Her eyes had tears in them. "Vincent?" She murmured. And then she turned to Cloud. "Cloud? What ha-happened?"

"Tifa… It's… It's… It's alright. I found you when you fell. You've been in a coma for a few days. Everyone else will be happy to know you're alright." Cloud said robotically. His head was still swimming. How could it have been a dream? It felt so real…

"C-Cloud… You saved me."

"Of course I did. You… You… I'm your knight in shining armor."

"I know. Thank you."

"Tifa… Why were you yelling Vincent's name?"

"Oh, oh, no! He left, didn't he?!" Tifa asked, suddenly hysteric. "He left…"

"How did you know?"

"Oh, no! So he did leave…"

"… Tifa?"

"Can I be alone for a minute?"

"… Sure." Cloud stood up and left.

_Why is he gone? _Tifa's dreams were frightening to her. She had one long, continuous dream. And it scared her.

**Dream**

_"Vincent? Where are you going?"_

_"I have to leave."_

_"Why?"_

_"This isn't where I belong."_

_The storm clouds rolled in angrily behind Vincent. As far as Tifa could see, the sky was dark and thundering. Lightning struck the blank stretch of grass all around them._

_"But Vincent…"_

_"I'm sorry, Tifa."_

_"VINCENT! Why are you covered in blood?!"_

_"I'll fight for you."_

_"What?"_

_"I love…"_

_"Vincent…"_

_"Tifa…"_

_"Why are you doing this?" Tifa could feel tears coming to her eyes. She didn't understand._

_"I have to."_

_"No, you don't! If you leave, I'll never forgive you!"_

_"And that just adds one more sin to the list."_

_"No! Vincent I didn't…"_

_"Tifa… I haven't been forgiven by Lucrecia."_

_"But you've never asked!"_

_"She would never forgive me for her child dying."_

_"But you loved her…"_

_"And she did not love me!"_

_"I don't…"_

_"And now…"_

_"I don't understand…"_

_"And now you…"_

_"Vincent, please don't leave!"_

_"Tifa. Tifa I can't stay."_

_"Why not?"_

_"I won't… I won't let this happen. I won't…"_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"I love you, Tifa. I'll miss you."_

_"Vincent?"_

_"Sins must be forgiven… If I cannot live with my sins… Then I must die for my sins."_

_"Vincent! Don't leave!"_

_"Good-bye."_

_"Vincent, please don't leave!"_

_The thunder and lightning stopped. Birds chirped. The sun came out. It was warm and sunny and peaceful, exactly how Tifa had loved it to be. She looked down at her bare feet and smiled._

_"Vincent… Now it's alright. You've been forgiven. Promise me… You won't leave… I'd miss you."_

_But when she looked up, no one was there, and she was at a loss for words._

**A/N: **Review please!


	17. Chapter 17

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking. Usually it takes me a month or so to update, but I decided to throw this extra chapter in for kicks, considering how its the NEW YEAR! So review!

**Chapter 17**

"No…" Tifa mumbled to herself. "No!" She jumped out of her bed and sprinted through the hallway, her head and her heart pounding. "Cloud?!" She called out.

Immediately, Cloud stepped to the bottom of the staircase and looked up at Tifa, his eyes full of worry. He placed his hands on the banister. She looked wearily down at him and he returned the gaze, but more soft hearted.

"Tifa, what's wrong?"

"I need to find Vincent."

_You've waited too long._

"Okay."

"Will you help me…?" Tifa asked quietly. She made her way down the stairs and hugged Cloud. She pulled away and smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry I need your help so often."

"No, no. It's fine. Of course I'll help you, Tifa…"

"Thank you!" Tifa said. "I need to find him, I really do…"

Jealousy stabbed at Cloud's heart. He put it aside and smiled.

"We'll find him, I promise."

**Later**

"He has to be here…" Tifa murmured. She took a few steps into the secluded cave. Her footsteps echoed loudly. She turned and faced Cloud. "I know… I know we can find him, Cloud."

"Yeah, I know we can too."

_"I know… I know I can see her there."_

Tifa stepped towards the blinding light where she once saw Lucrecia. She was with Vincent and Cloud. Vincent was afraid then. He loved her still. Tifa took a few steps closer and Lucrecia slowly appeared.

"Who's there?!"

"… Lucrecia?"

"… Yes. How do you know of me? Who are you?"

"I'm… I'm Tifa Lockheart. This is Cloud Strife."

"… Oh, yes. You… Tifa… Vincent's friends?"

"Yeah, that's us." Cloud replied.

"Vincent's better now, you know?" Lucrecia said robotically.

"Where is he?"

"He's in there." Lucrecia pointed to the shimmering glass door behind her.

"What? What's in there?" Tifa asked.

"Memories…"

"Memories…?"

"I don't know… I don't know if you can reach him."

"Why can't we?" Tifa asked.

"Every time… Every time someone walks in… They go… They go back into their memories. Their own. Vincent has gone back to his sins… And you will, as well."

"When will he come back?"

"Maybe soon. Or maybe never."

"Never?!" Tifa's voice was louder than she intended.

"If he chooses to come out, he will. But if he doesn't…"

"Why wouldn't he choose to…?"

"Because… Vincent doesn't want to come back. But, if you want to find him, you can. Reach through your memories. Reach through yourself. Connect to him. Think of him…" Lucrecia murmured. Her image flickered.

"Lucrecia?"

"… It's too hard. I need to forgive myself… And my sins."

"… What?"

"That's why we never left… It's why we're still here, you know…?" Lucrecia disappeared.

Tifa turned to Cloud. He nodded to her.

"Cloud, I'm going to try and go in."

"… Tifa…"

"Yes?"

"If it's alright… I'm going to go in… To my own memories."

"Really, Cloud? Why?"

"… I have things I need to figure out once and for all." Cloud replied. He looked at her earnestly. She smiled at him understandingly.

"That's good. Good luck, I'll meet you back here, okay? No matter what, don't leave."

"You can't leave either, then."

"Deal."

"You first, Tifa."

"Thanks."

Tifa opened the glass door and thought of Vincent as she passed through the thin waterfall that stood in front of her. She walked along a crystalline path, with blue crystal walls that shimmered innocently. She kept walking down the narrow path until she reached another door. This door was black and pulsing. She pulled it open and immediately, everything around her began to fall away…

_Is this… Vincent's… memories? _Tifa was in Nibelheim. _Was this when Lucrecia and Vincent came? _The moon shone brightly above her. _No… This isn't right… _She took a few steps forward and gasped at what she saw.

There she was, sitting on the edge of the well, with Cloud sitting next to her. They were talking about Aeris' death. _But how… How can this… how can this be part of Vincent's memories? Unless… Unless I'm in my own. _But then it clicked. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man cloaked in red and black. He was standing in the window of the mansion. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran into the house and up to the room where Vincent was standing in his memory.

"Vincent?" She called out meekly.

"… Tifa?!"

"Vincent!"

"Tifa, what are you doing here?" Vincent immediately changed his memory. This time they were really back in Nibelheim, before Lucrecia left him.

"I came to find you."

"… Why? Tifa, I would never leave for good."

"I had… I had this feeling that you wouldn't come back…"

"Did they tell you I was gone?"

"…No…"

"How did you know then?" The two were completely unaware of Vincent's memories playing around them, because all they could focus on where each other.

**Meanwhile**

_"Marlene! Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud? Welcome, Cloud. Looks like everything went well. Did you fight with Barrett?" Tifa asked. They were standing in 7th Heaven, right after Cloud and the others blew up one of the reactors. She was smiling._

_"Yeah." Cloud replied stingily. He didn't care all that much._

"That wasn't true… I cared…" Cloud murmured as he watched his memories.

_"I should have known. He's always pushing people around, and you've always been in fights ever since you were little. I was worried." Tifa said a little sadly. Cloud didn't take notice. He had a flower in his hand. Tifa looked at it and her eyes widened, surprised. "Flowers? How nice… You almost never see them here in the slums. But… A flower for me? Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have…"_

_"No big." Cloud remarked. He carelessly pushed the flower into her palm. His fingers brushed against her hand. His skin tingled._

_"Thank you, Cloud. It smells wonderful. Maybe I should fill the store with flowers."_

Cloud smiled at this memory. Suddenly there was another memory that flashed into his mind. The setting around him changed from the smoky, peaceful setting of where it all began, to where it all began with Aeris. The church. Cloud looked up at the ceiling. There was a hole from where he had fallen in. He could picture really being there…

_"Hello, hello?" A female voice said._

_"Hey… Who are you?"_

_"Hello, hello!" She said again._

_Cloud's eyes fluttered open and he saw a beautiful woman gazing down at him._

_"You okay? This church is in the Sector 5 slums. It suddenly fell on top of me. It really gave me a scare."_

_"… I came crashing down?" He asked, bewildered._

_"The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall. You're lucky." She smiled and he smiled back._

_"Flower bed… … Is this yours? Sorry about that." He felt so guilty._

_"That's all right. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar. But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here. I love it here."_

"… … Sacred place." Cloud realized now what she meant. "I loved it there, too, Aeris." Cloud turned around and walked out of the church, and found himself suddenly at the altar in the City of the Ancients. He knew what was coming. He didn't even have to question it. He saw himself covered in blood. But not his own. He saw Tifa and Vincent standing farther down, their eyes wide and their mouths open.

_"… Aeris. This can't be real!" He cried out._

_"Do not worry. Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy. All that is left is to go north. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over the snowy fields. There I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl… …" Sephiroth cackled. His words echoed in Cloud's mind. He couldn't come to grasp this._

_"… Shut up. The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing. Aeris is gone. Aeris will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry… … or get angry… What about us…? What are _we_ supposed to do?! What about my pain?! My fingers are tingling… My mouth is dry… My eyes are burning…"_

Cloud changed his memory. He couldn't take it. Tears formed. He wasn't ready to take this on. No, not yet. _Oh, God… _He could hear his heart pounding. Every moment passed by. It was too real… Too hard… But then… He was okay. It was okay. He could deal with it. He felt a wave of serenity pass over him. Was it wrong that he had finally forgiven himself? Was it wrong that he might not have been in love only with Aeris? Was it wrong that he might've felt love for another?

This next memory surprised him. It made him happy in ways he couldn't explain.

_"What are you going to do, Tifa?" Cloud asked a few nights before going to the crater._

_"Did you forget? I'm… all alone. I don't have anywhere to go." She didn't sound sad or afraid. She was just being matter-of-fact. Later, outside of the parked Highwind, Cloud and Tifa sat together on a rock on top of a hill. The moon shone brightly over them._

_"Everyone's gone…" Tifa murmured so quietly, Cloud had to lean in to listen._

_"Yeah, we don't have anywhere or anyone to go home to." He replied._

_"You're right… But… I'm sure someday… They'll come back, don't you think?"_

_"Hmm… I wonder? Everyone has an irreplaceable something they're holding on to… But this time, our opponent…"_

_"Hmm… But that's all right, even if no one comes back. As long as I'm with you… As long as you're by my side… I won't give up even if I'm scared." This had taken Cloud aback. He didn't know Tifa felt that way. He thought that he had never been good enough. He leaned over and put his arm around her. He felt her rest her head gently on his shoulder._

_"… … … … Tifa… …" Cloud finally said._

_"No matter how close we are… We were apart… before this. But when we were in the lifestream surrounded by all those screams of anguish, I thought I heard your voice…" Tifa sniffed. It took Cloud a moment to realize Tifa was crying softly. "You probably won't remember this… But deep in my heart I heard you calling my name… Or at least I thought I did…"_

_"Yeah… At the time I heard you calling me. You were calling me back from the stream of consciousness in the lifestream. After all, I promised. That if anything ever happened to you, I would come to help."_

_"Cloud…? Do you think the stars can hear us? Do you think they see how hard we're fighting for them?"_

_"I dunno… But… Whether they are or not, we still have to do what we can. And believe in ourselves… Someday we'll find the answer. Right, Tifa? That's what I learned from you when I was in the lifestream."_

_"Yeah… That's right…"_

_"Hey Tifa… … I… There are a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about. But now that we're together like this, I don't know what I really wanted to say… I guess nothing's changed at all… Kind of makes you want to laugh…"_

_"Cloud… Words aren't the only things that tell people what you're thinking."_

_"… …"_

_"Hmm…" Tifa hummed a little and started to breathe deeper._

_"It's almost dawn…"_

_"H, huh?"_

_"Sorry, did I wake you? It's almost dawn, Tifa."_

_"Umm… Good morning… Cloud. Give me a little longer. Just a little bit longer… This day will never come again… So let me have this moment."_

_"Yeah… okay. This is probably the last time we'll have together…"_

What Cloud really wanted to say was, "You let _me_ have this moment." He smiled at this memory. It was his favorite. Suddenly Cloud was enveloped in black. He heard voices. Many unclear voices talked and screamed and whispered. But then two distinct voices reached him.

_"Cloud… Cloud… So we did end up together…" Tifa murmured._

_"I learned a lot. The elders taught me many things. About the Cetra… And the Promised Land… I'm… alone… I'm all alone now…" Aeris said quietly._

_"It feels like… it feels like you're going far away… You really, really are… you… right?"_

_"Cloud… Be strong, okay?"_

_"Aeris probably would've been able to say it…"_

_"Cloud… I'm searching for you…"_

Cloud stopped. Tears flooded his eyes. He thought back into the past. He reached the memory he wanted to see the most. The one of the girl he loved. Before Cloud, the well appeared. A small Cloud sat sadly on the well. He shivered. He wondered if Tifa would come. She then finally showed up. They talked on the well. She asked him to be her knight in shining armor. He promised her he would be.

And at that moment, that meant everything to him.

**A/N: **Review!


	18. Chapter 18

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized is thinking.

**Chapter 18**

"I had this dream…" Tifa began. Vincent was quiet and let her continue. She took in a deep breath and kept talking. "I had this dream that… you left forever. I had this dream and you said you loved me." Tifa let out a laugh that sounded fake to her own ears. "Stupid, right?"

"Not at all. Tifa… I…" Vincent began. "No, nothing, never mind." He turned away from her and lifted his arms up. The scene changed to a beautiful setting. Tifa didn't know where it was. "Watch this…"

_Vincent sat alone on park bench. Beautiful flowers and trees were all around him, as well as one single lamppost. Snow fell lightly and he brushed it off his shoulders. The sun was almost gone. He sat alone in his old Turk suit._

Tifa was about to ask Vincent what she was waiting for, and then she stopped.

_A young, pretty woman stepped up to Vincent. She had brown hair that fell gracefully. It brought out the bright color of her eyes. Her delicate, pale features seemed to fit._

_"Vincent!" She said, her large eyes filling up with tears. She took a few steps forward. "Oh, Vincent, I'm so happy that you're alright."_

_Vincent laughed a soft, hiccupy laugh. He stood up and put his arms around the woman._

_"Lucrecia… Of course I'm alright."_

_"Well, it's just that, Hojo told me you…"_

_"That I died?"_

_"… Yes… But you're not dead… And so I'm happy." Lucrecia put her hand up to Vincent's face and stroked it softly. She whispered slowly, "Is this real?"_

_"Yeah, this is real." Vincent smiled._

_"Good."_

_"Lucrecia, I missed you."_

_"I missed you also."_

_"Are you alright? You're shivering. Are you cold? Come here…" Vincent held Lucrecia closer to him. The two stood under the lamppost. The sun was completely gone, with only a few rays reaching over the horizon. The light flickered on. Snow kept falling. It was beautiful._

_Lucrecia smiled up at Vincent. She rested her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head. She then pulled away, her face serious._

_"I love you." He said suddenly._

_"I love you, too…" Lucrecia kissed him lightly on the lips._

The scene changed. Tifa now recognized this place. They were in Nibelheim. She knew what was going to happen.

_"Lucrecia, marry me."_

_"What?" She smiled. "Oh, I thought you were serious!"_

_"… I am."_

_"… Vincent?" She stopped smiling. Her face grew solemn and she spoke hesitantly, unsure of the words she wanted to use. "Vincent… really?"_

_"Yes! Yes, really! Marry me!"_

_"W-what? Vincent! No. No… I can't…"_

_"Lucrecia, we're in love!"_

_"… Vincent…"_

_"Lucrecia?"_

_"… I-I don't think…"_

_"… Lucrecia…"_

_"…"_

_"… Aren't we?" Vincent's voice was so full of hope and desperation and love._

_"…"_

_"Lucrecia, this isn't funny anymore." Vincent couldn't tell what was about to happen, but he had a knotting in his stomach and his eyes couldn't focus._

_"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me." He said quickly._

_"… I don't. I don't love you…"_

_"……"_

_"Vincent, I-I'm sorry! I don't love you! We can't do this…"_

_"But that day in the park…"_

_"That day was a mistake!"_

_"Why are you doing this…?"_

_"Because I can't love you! I can't, Vincent! I just can't… Work comes first… I can't let this interfere…"_

_"But I love you… Don't you even care?"_

_"Of course I care. But that's all."_

Tifa fell down. She couldn't understand. The emotions were so real and raw and genuinely spoken that she herself felt as bad as Vincent did. Vincent ran over, alarmed, and helped her up. Tifa felt so many emotions from this memory. She knew exactly how he felt.

"Vincent… I didn't know it was like that…"

"Yeah. I just wanted to show you."

"But she really loved you."

"Yeah, I know, she really did."

"But why did you let her go?"

"I wanted her to be happy."

"Do you still love her?"

"…"

"Does she love you?"

"… I don't know…"

"… Aren't you going to find out?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Vincent looked at Tifa with a contemplative look. "Sometimes its better to not know…"

"… But Vincent…"

"Yes, I know what you are going to say. There is nothing left to lose… But there is… Tifa…"

She looked at him, trying to read beneath his exterior. He closed off his face and turned away. He apologized softly.

"I know. You don't have to say it."

"…"

"Why did you show me this memory?"

"I just wanted to be honest…"

"Is there anything else?"

"… Yes. Yes, there is."

"Will you tell me?"

"…"

"Vincent…?"

"Tifa… I…"

"…"

"Tifa, I love you."

Tifa's heard pounded in her ears. _What?! _She looked at him confused. She wished she could love him. She knew that if she could control how she felt, at that moment, she would've kissed him.

"V-Vincent…"

"Tifa, it's okay."

"B-but…"

"It's okay. I know, Tifa. I know you love Cloud."

"I…" Tifa looked into his eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't the only one crying. She was going to tell him she was sorry, but looking into his ruby red eyes, she realized that she didn't really need to.

**Meanwhile**

Cloud stepped out of the glass door. He knew what he had to do. As Cloud waited for Tifa, he realized that she was in there with Vincent. He knew that Vincent loved her. How did he know? It was obvious.

The way he looked at her. The way that Vincent obviously wanted to be near her. He helped her when Cloud wasn't there. Vincent was there for Tifa. Cloud wasn't. And during that time, Vincent had happened to fall in love with her. He realized that if anything made sense in the world, Tifa would be in love with Vincent. Cloud knew he deserved nothing. He had let Tifa down so many times, and yet she was still caring and optimistic concerning him. He had left Tifa for Aeris the moment they met. But he felt something else. He knew that Aeris would never really fulfill him, but he never knew why. There were moments when Cloud would look at Tifa and then he felt like that they belonged. But Cloud had chosen the easy way out.

Cloud had chosen someone who so obviously had feelings for him, instead of trying to win Tifa's heart. Why did he do that? He knew the answer. He was afraid. He was so afraid of being rejected…

"… Cloud?" Tifa's voice broke Cloud's train of thoughts.

"Tifa…" Cloud awoke. "Tifa! Where's Vincent?"

"He's gone."

"_What?!"_

"…"

**Before**

_"Vincent…" Tifa began, "Vincent I…"_

"_Tifa…"_

"_What about Lucrecia?" She didn't want to address the subject that so badly muddled her mind._

"… ……"

"_You still love her, don't you?"_

"…_Maybe… Maybe I do."_

"_Well, then…"_

"_But Tifa…" Vincent had looked earnestly into Tifa's eyes. "Tifa… I don't… I don't…"_

"_Vincent… You love her… Not me…" Tifa let out a soft laugh. "Vincent I know how it is. Trust me."_

"_No… I…"_

"_It's alright. Don't be afraid."_

"_You remind me of her." He suddenly stated bluntly._

"_Do I?"_

"_You're so caring and kind. You're both beautiful. You're both people I would die for."_

"_Do you love Lucrecia?"_

"… _I always have. I always will."_

"_That's right."_

"_But it's over."_

"_It doesn't have to be."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Vincent… Why did you say that you love me?"_

"… _I do."_

"_But Lucrecia…"_

"_I don't get it, either."_

"_It's alright…" Tifa started, but then was cut short. Lucrecia materialized out of thin air. She took a few steps forward._

_"Lucrecia?!" Vincent exclaimed._

_"Vincent…"_

_"Lucrecia…"_

_"Vincent… I… I waited too long."_

_"For what, exactly?"_

_"That day… That day… You told me… You loved me…"_

_"Yes…?"_

_"I told you I loved you."_

_"Yes. I'm familiar with that."_

_"And then later I told you I didn't. I told you I didn't want to marry you. I told you I didn't love you." Lucrecia had an unnatural display of emotion. "… I did."_

_"You did?"_

_"Yeah, I did. I still do…"_

_"… Lucrecia."_

_"Vincent. It's so late now. I'm only here… Partially."_

_"…"_

_"But Vincent, I couldn't hold it in… I love you… I've been waiting so long to come clean… But oh, Vincent, can you ever forgive me? I was so cruel to you…"_

_"… Lucrecia?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I love you too…"_

_"I'll wait for you…"_

_"Okay, Lucrecia."_

_"Good-bye, Tifa." Lucrecia said._

_"Bye."_

_Vincent and Tifa exchanged an incredulous look. They could both scarcely believe what had just happened. But they both knew what was going to come next. Tifa could feel it._

_"So what are you going to do now?" Tifa asked, knowing quite well what he would say as a response. She got a jumpy feeling in her bones that warmed her down to her heart. She couldn't help but smile._

_"I'm going to stay."_

_"Can you?"_

_"If I stay long enough… I think I can see her for real. I can be with her."_

_"I don't think the rest of them will be happy to see this end so quickly." Tifa smiled, knowing full well what would happen next. "What about them?"_

_"I'm sure you can explain, Tifa."_

_"Maybe, but I don't think that they'll understand." Tifa suddenly backtracked. She knew what Vincent was going to say, so she opened her mouth to speak again. "Then again, they never really got you like I did, huh?"_

_"Definitely not."_

_"So I'll see you around, then."_

_"Guess so."_

_"Okay. It's been good, Vincent."_

_"It has been, indeed."_

_"I'm going to miss you. Thank you for helping me."_

_"No… Tifa… Thanks for helping me. Please tell everyone that I'll miss them. And tell them I'm sorry I left so soon. And also… Thank Cloud… Without everything I wouldn't have come to this point… To meeting you… And to figuring this out." Vincent stopped for a moment. "Tell everybody thank you. Tifa… I hope you and Cloud find happiness."_

_"I will tell them. Thanks… I love you." Tifa smiled, happy she was able to say it. Vincent smiled back._

_"I love you too…" Vincent turned to leave through a sparkling door, but then stopped short. "Do you think you'll tell him?"_

_"… Yeah. Yeah, I think I will."_

_"Really, will you?"_

_"Yes." Tifa smiled. "Thanks to you, of course."_

_"Good." Vincent replied._

_"Good-bye, Vincent."_

_"Good-bye."_

_"Wait!" Vincent called, before Tifa left through the glass door in which she had entered._

_"Yeah, Vincent?"_

_"I'm proud of you."_

_"I'm proud of me too."_

**A/N: **God this was really rushed. I know it was and it was kinda a twist you probably did/didn't see coming. I don't know, I surprised myself when I wrote this. Oh well, I know how rushed it was. I hope you guys review more than you did the last chapters.


	19. Chapter 19

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized is thinking. I don't know why, but some people thought the last chapter was the end? Well, I'm glad to say it is not. We still have a few more chapters to go till the end. And I'm very sorry for the long update wait, usually i keep it around a month to a little less than a month. It just slipped my mind!

**Chapter 19**

"But…" How could Cloud say he saw this coming? How could he offer words of comfort to Tifa? As he watched sparkling tears trail down her face, he felt his own tears surfacing. What was wrong with him nowadays? Cloud put his arm around her.

This comforted Tifa more than Cloud could ever know. She let herself sink and let all of her walls fade away. She sobbed onto Cloud's old clothing. He whispered sweet consolations in her ear. She knew that he knew that it wouldn't help. She appreciated it anyway.

"Do you think… Why did it have to end so soon?" Tifa asked slowly.

"I don't know. Sometimes we can't help the way things end up." Cloud replied. He smiled a little at her before continuing to say, "At least we know he wanted to go."

"I wonder if he's okay."

"He probably is."

"Does he know that I'm sad?" Tifa blurted out. She knew this was selfish, but she couldn't help herself. "Does he care?"

"He probably thinks you'll be okay. He probably needed to tell himself you would be." Cloud noted philosophically. "Vincent was a good guy. He knows how things are."

"I know he was. I miss him already."

"The worst part is having to forget and then remember." Cloud let out a soft chuckle. "It sounds cliché, but it's true. It was that way with Aeris." Cloud's heart didn't constrict so much at her name. However, he was too busy to notice this as all of his attention was on Tifa. She gazed earnestly at him.

"At least he will be happy. Are you happy?"

Those last three words rang in the empty cavern. Cloud sat stock still. His body stiffened and Tifa noticed this. She shrank back. He immediately softened and pulled her in. He rested his head on hers, and in a quiet, almost inaudible whisper, he said, "I'm happy when I'm with you."

**Later**

"Where the hell are you?!"

"Sorry, Cid, it's a long story."

"Long story my ass, you fuck head! Come back with Tifa right now!"

"Cid, put Reeve on the phone."

"Hello?"

"Reeve? It's Cloud. Cid is being an asshole. Tifa and I are on our way back. We'll explain everything later. What is going on over there?"

"We're just waiting for you guys."

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. We'll be there soon."

"Bye."

**Later**

Tifa and Cloud walked slowly up the path to the mansion. The evening sun twinkled delightfully. Cloud held Tifa's arm confidently. He wouldn't let her go. The two burst into the mansion, but before they could even remove their shoes, they were bombarded with many questions. The two answered them tactfully. Finally, Tifa let out a big yawn.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you two must be very tired." Red said quietly. "Why don't we just… go to sleep? We can always talk about this later."

"That actually sounds really good." Cloud said sleepily.

"Where's Vincent?" Yuffie finally burst out asking. The whole group paused. Tifa turned slowly and looked at Yuffie with a blank, almost uncaring expression.

She opened her mouth and said, "He's not coming home," and walked into the piano room right next to the foyer. The door closed quietly and the rest of the friends stood still. Finally Cloud said, "I think I'll go see her." He followed her and disappeared into the room.

What the rest of them did, Cloud and Tifa didn't know because after he had entered there was silence throughout the rest of the house. Tifa didn't turn when Cloud entered the room. Instead, she sat down at the piano bench and placed her hands lightly on the dusty keys.

Feelings flowed through her as music flowed through her fingers. The graceful pounding of her fingers in perfect rhythm on the piano keys were hypnotizing. The notes flew and stumbled and danced along, never wavering or falling. She didn't even have to think. The song was something she had always known, ever since she was a child. She had not forgotten it, even after all of these years.

Cloud lay down carefully on the couch, careful not to disturb her. He let the beautiful melody float down over him, and he soaked it in. The harmonizing lines vibrated every fiber of his being. The low notes gracefully complemented the higher, soaring notes.

Suddenly, it was silent. He opened his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling.

"Why did you stop?" Cloud asked quietly, almost whispering. He wasn't sure why. He heard muffled breathing and a stifled sob. So he turned his head and saw something he didn't really want to see. Not because it was disgusting or unnecessary, but because it hurt his heart too. Tifa had her hands resting on the previous chords. Her shoulders shook and salty, shining tears dripped onto the keys.

Cloud stood up and walked a few feet over. He put his hand on her shoulder. She collapsed onto the piano and a loud, banging sound was heard.

"I'm trying not to cry, Cloud!" She choked out. "I'm really trying hard to stop."

"I know, Tifa, but you shouldn't hold it in."

"I have to! I have to Cloud!" She nearly screamed.

"Tifa, what's wrong?"

"God, I don't even know! I'm not really sure what's been wrong with me lately…" Tifa murmured. She felt herself being lifted from the piano bench. Cloud put her gently down on the couch.

"Why do you take such good care of me?" She asked. She hardly expected an answer.

"It's more like this, Tifa. Why do _you_ take such good care of _me_?" Cloud asked back. He sat down beside her. "Tifa, what's wrong?" He took a glance at her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Everything is going to be okay." He whispered to her.

"How do you know?" She kept her eyes closed.

"We're here."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It means that… We'll be okay, as long as we're together."

"Is it real?"

"I want to think so."

"What if it's not?"

"It is."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because, even if I weren't, I wouldn't let you leave. I…" He stopped. His voice trailed off. But then he saw Tifa staring at him so he went on, "I… need you."

Tifa saw them going into a territory she didn't exactly feel like tackling now. Sure, she told Vincent she would, but did that mean right away? Did she have to tell Cloud right at that moment? There were going to be other moments, she was sure, but what if they turned out like all the others? What if she just chickened out every time? Why did she ask so many questions?

Tifa stayed still. She let her worried mind win. Her hair dangled over the edge of the couch, the long pieces casually brushing the floor. Her mind raced with things to say, to fill the void of silence.

She kept trying to find things to say, until Cloud spoke out and said, "It's funny to think that we've been best friends all these years, no matter what. I think it's sort of a sign. Maybe we'll grow old together."

And after that, she knew that she wouldn't be able to find a truer word.

**A/N**: Review damnit! Why don't you people review! But thank you to the ones that do, you guys are awesome!


	20. Chapter 20

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized means thinking.

**Chapter 20**

"Cloud, I've gotta question." Yuffie said loudly. Cloud cast her an annoyed look, but let her speak. The rest of the crew was out of the mansion for the day. Yuffie decided to take advantage of her little alone time with Cloud. "Do you love Aeris?"

"…"

"Oh, Cloud, please be honest today! I want to know. And for once, I won't yell it to the whole world." She said, somewhat sincerely. He looked at her and decided to give into the angry little ninja's words.

"I think so… But I don't think it was just Aeris."

"So what was it?"

"I can't explain."

"I don't understand how you got over her so effin' quick." Yuffie said accusatorily.

"I don't expect you to."

"Try and explain, then!" She exclaimed, obviously not put off at all by Cloud's rude demeanor. He grinned a bit.

"I guess I just accepted it."

"What happened to the grieving period?"

"I guess it's over quickly."

"Well what the hell!"

"Yeah, yeah, Yuffie. I don't even know myself. I just… I guess every time I think of Aeris… She feels like just a memory… I feel so guilty for that, but I know she wants it this way."

"How?"

"Sometimes I hear her."

"You sure you're not just going insane?"

"Uhh, I'm pretty sure my sanity is still intact."

"Good."

"Does it even make sense?"

"Of course it does. Well, not totally… But you're you, Cloud, and you don't make total sense anyway." Yuffie laughed.

"Why did you want to know, anyway?"

"Call it curiosity."

"Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Curiosity killed the cat'? Since when did you get so nosy?"

"Oh, silly, you misunderstand! I've always been _so nosy_. I just don't utilize my abilities all of the time. Besides, we all like to understand what's going on in your head every once in awhile." Yuffie cast a sideways glance at Cloud. "And it's kind of obvious that you like Tifa." She added under her breath.

"What?" He asked.

"What?" She quickly asked back, as if nothing had ever happened.

**Later**

Tifa and Cloud sat together on a park bench outside of the mansion. A cold wind wrapped around them and sped off, gone as quick as it had come. The stars sparkled brightly above them. Sometimes, Tifa noticed, the stars seemed to mock you, but sometimes they were warm and inviting and full of hope. That night, the stars were inviting. Tifa sighed, watching her breath float up to the sky. Although they weren't talking, it wasn't awkward. They held hands and thought their separate thoughts.

Cloud leaned his head back against the back of the bench. He stared up at the sky, his head swimming. Cloud grasped Tifa's hand in his. He didn't want to let go.

"Hey, Cloud…" Tifa began.

"Yeah?" He asked, immediately bringing his eyes to her.

"Do you love Aeris?" She asked, her voice free of pressure.

"… I miss her…" He murmured.

"I know… Sorry." She turned her head to end the conversation.

"But I…" Cloud wouldn't let her end it. He had to do this. "I didn't love her as much as I thought." This caught Tifa's attention. She turned to him.

"What?"

"I thought she was someone who would always complete me. I thought she was exactly what I wanted… But she wasn't… She was most of those things… But sometimes when I looked at her I knew that no matter what I wouldn't be completely happy spending my life with her."

"Why not?"

"… … Hey Tifa, who do you love?"

"Me?" She asked, baffled by the subject change.

"Yeah."

"Well…"

"Do you love Vincent?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"He loved you."

"… I don't think he did. He loves Lucrecia. He always has…"

"It doesn't mean he doesn't love you." Cloud began. "I mean, look at it… Someone could love someone else for a long while… But it doesn't mean they can't love someone else, too." Cloud looked into Tifa's eyes with such force she had to look down. But he brought her gaze up by lifting her chin up. "Tifa?"

"I don't think he did anyway. I mean, not truly. He loves Lucrecia…"

"It doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

"Doesn't it?"

The two stopped talking and turned away. Too many things were going unsaid, and they could feel it. They let go of each other's hands simultaneously. Tifa wished she could tell him that she loved him, although she knew he didn't love her. She could see it in his eyes.

Cloud wished he could tell Tifa exactly what he wanted. But he couldn't, because he was too afraid. But then he stopped. He could be strong. He could do it… Couldn't he?

Tifa rethought the situation. She wanted to tell him. She knew this would be her one chance to admit the truth. If she didn't say it now, she never would think about it again. She would be too ashamed.

"Hey Cloud." She said a little flatly. He turned to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I have something I need to say…"

"What is it?"

"But first… Do you love Aeris?"

"… The feelings I've felt for Aeris could certainly be compared to love."

"Do you still love her?" This was obviously the more tender question.

"Honestly?" Cloud looked into Tifa's eyes. What was she getting at? The intensity was too much and he pulled away. "Honestly… I do." He lied. Why did he lie?

"Oh…" Tifa said, trying to mask her disappointment. "That's okay then…"

"Wait, what did you want to tell me?"

"Nothing important."

"Tifa…"

"What?"

"Stop doing this."

"Stop what?" She feigned stupidity. She had to, because if she didn't, she might've started to cry.

"Tifa tell me what's wrong. Stop avoiding me…"

"Cloud…"

"Tifa!"

"… Cloud… You never… You never really cared… Did you?"

"What?"

"Oh God… Jesus, Cloud…" Tifa turned away, her breathing got rocky and her whole body shook. He grabbed her and was going to turn her around before she snapped his hand away. He put his hands on his lap. She continued to talk and she didn't really know why. But she knew that she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried.

"Cloud… I was waiting… I knew… I knew no matter what happened, everything would be alright, as long as you were happy… But it didn't matter… Did it? Cloud you promised… You promised we'd always be… We'd be as close as ever. You were my knight in shining armor. I know, I know, it was just a childish promise… But I wish it would've been kept. Cloud… You promised… But they don't even mean anything. Cloud, am I really that worthless? How come I'm not good enough? Cloud, what's wrong with me?!" Tifa paused. Cloud was gaping at her. He didn't speak. She knew he wanted her to continue. Tifa took a deep breath and started to talk again. Tears poured down her face, and she didn't even care.

"Cloud… I love you. I've loved you since we were kids… Since the days when we fought together, since the day we met. I always wanted to know if you felt the same way. Cloud… Why did you fall in love with Aeris? I don't mean to say it is wrong… But Cloud… Why are there so many things wrong with me? Why… why did I have to fall in love with you? I still want to know… I still want to know why it doesn't work. Why can't I be loved…? Why wasn't I ever good enough? You always talked about how Aeris was always there for you, but so was I, Cloud. I am always here for you… I'm not trying to say you should love me… But Cloud… How long can I keep this up? How long must I wait before this is all over? Cloud Strife… I love you. And I know you don't love me… But I've always been here… And it's never, ever, been enough…" Tifa remembered this from what she told Vincent. She didn't want to see Cloud's expression.

Tifa listened to anything but herself and Cloud. She focused on the outline of the well but its edges were fuzzy and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. She was about to say more before Cloud's voice broke the silence. His voice was shaking.

"…Tifa…"

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"Tifa, don't you know anything?"

Tifa cried even harder. She didn't expect Cloud to be harsh with her.

"No… I guess not."

"I love you."

Tifa's head shot up. _What?_

"Since always, Tifa… Since always…"

"I can't believe it. You've been in love with Aeris…"

"No, Tifa… Listen."

"No, _you_ listen! Cloud I can't take this anymore. I need to get out of here… I can't stay…"

"Why not?"

"Because it's hard… It's hard to tolerate this. I'm sorry, Cloud." Tifa took off as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran down the path to the entrance of Nibelheim. And all Cloud could do was watch.

**A/N: **That was sort of crappy… Well, review! Why do you guys not review! Seriously folks!


	21. Chapter 21

**Promise  
**_Final Fantasy VII_

**By: **Bahamuts AngelVII

**A/N:** Italicized Thinking. I am SO SORRY!!! I haven't updated in so long! I feel terrible! I guess I just lost track. Anyway, here is the last chapter! It's pretty long, so I hope you don't get bored. Please enjoy!! AND REVIEW!

**Chapter 21**

Tifa was running out of energy. She didn't care. Tifa ran and ran, her clothes ripped from the rocks and trees she ran through. Tifa was wearing a short white dress. It was a sort of casual dress that was worn all the time. Her white dress was dirtied up, and although it was more expensive than not, she didn't mind at all. In fact, she didn't even think of her dress as she ran towards the ocean at top speed.

The tears clouded her vision. She didn't stop running as she hit the sand, which shifted and formed to her feet. Tifa threw herself into the ocean and swam as hard and as fast as she could. She didn't stop until she desperately needed air. She threw her head back, and her chocolate brown hair whipped behind her. Then her hair swirled around in the ocean. The stars, which had seemed so warm, now seemed to tease her. Tifa's angry tears mixed with the salt water. She took no note of the stinging of the salt. She gasped and gulped for air, as the waves were growing rougher. She was not alarmed, as she was an excellent swimmer. Tifa threw her head back and screamed as loud as she could, letting out all of her anguish and depression.

Tifa cried for many reasons. First she cried for herself, then for Cloud, Aeris, then Vincent, and then herself some more. It felt so long ago that Cloud and Aeris had been reunited. It felt so long ago that Vincent left. But it was actually a day ago. The hardest part was forgetting and then having to remember. Tifa loved Vincent so much. She missed him. She missed Cloud.

"Why…?" She murmured quietly, questioning all of the problems that had occurred. She heard her name being called.

"Tifa!" Someone called. She turned and saw a boy swimming behind her. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked at her in that innocent way of his. "Tifa, are you okay?"

"No."

"He'll come around."

"Do you think so?"

"He loves you still."

"But…"

"Tifa… I know that he loves you… He will always protect you. Give him a chance… He's still trying to figure it out."

"How do you know all of this?"

"… I'm just a kid."

The boy disappeared.

Tifa smiled. She floated on her back and closed her eyes. Her mouth twitched before turning into a frown. Tifa wondered to herself, why it was so easy for her to be hurt. She asked herself why things did not ever turn out the way she wanted. Then Tifa stopped asking herself these questions, because she knew that however things ended up, she would always do her best.

**Meanwhile**

"She _what_?!" Yuffie screeched. Cloud immediately put his hand over her mouth and dragged her farther away from the mansion. He saw a few curious faces peak out of their windows, before returning to their late night endeavors. Then he let go when he was sure she wouldn't scream anymore.

"Shush, Yuffie. Don't yell."

"Sorry… It's just that… I can't believe this! Tifa did it! Wow! Yay! This is such a surprise!" Yuffie's face glowed, but quickly it turned as dark and shady as the street they were standing on. "But what did you say? Where is she now?"

"I told her I loved her. She left." He couldn't say anymore.

"What the hell?" Yuffie screamed again. Cloud shushed her quickly. She apologized. "What the hell… Where is she? What happened when you told her you loved her?"

"She ran away. She said she was confused." He looked at Yuffie and he could tell she wanted more. "She… She said she couldn't take it. She needed to get out… of here." Cloud finished with a note of finality. Yuffie looked apologetic.

"… Go find her. You know what you have to do."

"… What do I have to do?"

"… You know, Cloud. Will you do it?"

"… I can't."

"Okay."

**Later**

"Tifa!"

"… Cloud?!"

"Tifa, I need to talk to you."

"What do you want?"

Tifa sat, drenched, on the sandy beach. The ocean became smooth as a crystal and sparkled in the moonlight. The once rough waves had ceased moments before Cloud arrived.

"Tifa… I'm so, so sorry." Cloud said slowly.

Tifa turned and looked at Cloud, her eyes full of emotion. She looked as hard as she could into his eyes, and she could tell he meant what he said. This made her want to cry.

"Tifa… I know… You don't have to ever forgive me. But I need to tell you this. … Tifa?" Cloud knelt down in front of Tifa, who was staring at her knees. He pushed her chin up so she could look at him.

"What, Cloud?" She choked out.

"Tifa… I'm sorry I waited so long to explain. I love you. I always have. I always will… Tifa… I thought… I thought that you didn't love me, because you were never like that towards me. I loved you, Tifa… I thought you knew. I thought you knew and didn't want anything to do with it… And when Aeris came, I found someone who loved me… For me. God, Tifa… I never stopped loving you, although I convinced myself that I didn't really love you. When I lost Aeris, I was so afraid… Because I was afraid of being alone. Tifa I know you have always been here… But I thought all you felt for me was friendship and sympathy." Cloud stared hard into Tifa's eyes. He wanted her to know everything.

"Tifa… Tifa hearing those words from you… There is nothing wrong with you, you are so perfect. I wish you could see what I see… And Tifa… I know you've been here… But when I found Aeris could come back, I was so excited. I could see her again… I thought I loved her so much… And that night, when I found you and Vincent cuddling and holding hands… I felt so jealous. I didn't understand why. I had someone I loved… I had someone that I could hold, that I could cuddle with. Tifa… I didn't understand myself. I needed someone to help me, but I couldn't ask that of you. Not after all of the things you've done for me. And on our wedding day, oh, Tifa…" Cloud wiped away one of Tifa's tears as he shed a few of his own. "On our wedding day, I didn't understand. I was not as excited as I thought. Sharing that bed with you the night before… I felt so safe. Like that was exactly where I belonged. Tifa, didn't you know? And then when I came up to you the night after the wedding. You said you were leaving.

But where were you going? Tifa… I never wanted you to go. I'm sorry I've been so selfish… And now I know, I don't deserve you one bit. Tifa, I couldn't even save you. After everything you have done for me, I couldn't save you when you tripped off of the mountain. But Tifa… I have something to show you." Cloud paused. Tifa glanced up at him. "… Here."

Cloud placed a few old papers into Tifa's hands. She looked down through her tears and opened the first letter. It was from Cloud, long ago. Her hands trembled as she read it. Cloud sat patiently.

_Dear Tifa,_

_So, how are you? I got your last letter. I'm doing great, Tifa. This place is amazing. It's so different from the small town of Nibelheim. Everything is on a schedule now, you know? It's so crazy. There are so many different people here. I love all of the people I've met. But the person I love the most is you. Tifa, I miss you so much. I want you to come visit me sometime, alright? I know you can't right now, but as soon as you can, please come. I miss you. How is everyone? Is everything the same as when I had left?_

_Love,_

_Cloud_

Tifa shuddered. She got chills from these old memories. She unfolded the next letter.

_Dear Tifa,_

_I'm glad you and everyone are doing well. The schedule is tough, but rewarding. It's fun here. It isn't quite as peaceful as home, but I can make do. I keep a photo of you and me on my nightstand. It's the only thing that reminds me of home right now. I'm afraid I can't write much right now, because I have to go train soon. Did I tell you how some girls asked me out the other night? It was wicked. I said yes. I'm going out with them tonight. I hope it's fun. I miss you, Tifa. Did I tell you about Zack yet? He's this guy who's been pretty cool. He's teaching me about a lot of stuff. He says he has a girl living in Sector 5. I hope I get to meet her, and maybe you can come and visit and the four of us can go somewhere. Don't forget about me, ya hear? Write back._

_Love,_

_Cloud_

Tifa looked at Cloud. He nodded in understanding. They both knew who they were thinking about. She unfolded the final letter.

_Dear Tifa,_

_That sounds so nice, Tifa. I want to come home. I want to see you. Tifa, I miss you. I'm getting a little tired of all this. I haven't seen your face or heard your voice in months. I miss home. I understand that you can't visit… But I miss you. Anyway… I'm going out with Zack tonight. The date with those girls? They don't compare to this one girl that I know. She's amazing. You're kind of like her, Tifa. But anyway, I have to go again. They're shutting off the mail system for six months. I'm going to be shipped out anyway… So Tifa… Take care, I'll see you when I see you._

_- Cloud_

"Oh, Cloud!" Tifa threw the letters to her side and hugged him.

"Tifa, there's something else."

"What?"

"Here." Cloud handed Tifa a letter that looked less worn.

"When is this from?"

"I was going to send you this… But I couldn't."

"What's in it?"

"Read it."

_Dear Tifa,_

_I don't know why… But I feel like I really need to get this out. Tifa… Tifa I miss you. I love you, Tifa. I've loved you since we were kids. I wish I could tell you face to face, but I'm so ashamed. Tifa… I couldn't save you. I know you don't love me back, but… This is all I can say. Tifa, as a small boy I always thought you were beautiful and amazing and so nice. I always wanted to tell you, Tifa. But I couldn't. And now I'm being a coward and telling you in a letter. Tifa… I know you'll never love me… But I just want you to know, I love you. I always have, and I always will, Tifa. And if you ever decide maybe I'm worth it… I'll be waiting, I promise._

_- Cloud_

"… Cloud?" Tifa was unsure of what this letter meant. She looked at Cloud. "What about Aeris?" She couldn't help herself. She felt so guilty, as if she had gone behind her best friend's back and stolen her boy. Cloud looked at Tifa, surprised.

"Aeris…?" He asked, as if the name weren't entirely relevant. "You know, I think it's okay."

"How do you know?"

"… I think she's forgiven me."

"Really?"

"She asked me if I was okay now."

"Are you?"

"Yeah. I think I'm okay."

"Good."

"Tifa. My promise still stands."

"Does it really?"

"Yeah."

"…"

"Tifa…"

"Cloud… I don't know… If I can…"

"Tifa, I said that I would wait, didn't I?"

Tifa nodded.

"I'm glad you know."

"Yeah…"

Tifa and Cloud sat on the beach staring out into the ocean for a long while. She stared at the ocean, not knowing what to do, or think. _I can't believe it… Can he really love me?_ Finally she turned to look at him, her heart pounding.

"Cloud, I—" But before Tifa could even get her words out, she was interrupted.

Cloud kissed Tifa hard on the lips. She was surprised and had her eyes open for a moment. He then opened his mako eyes and looked back at her. She smiled and then they both closed their eyes, and continued to kiss. This first kiss for Tifa exploded with passion. Every heart-wrenching first kiss she had in her dreams were nothing compared to everything she felt at that moment.

And to Cloud, this felt right. Kissing Aeris was nothing compared to the feeling he had at that moment. When they finally separated, Cloud looked at Tifa. His eyes held a question. She nodded. He didn't even have to ask.

"I love you, Cloud." She said a little shakily.

"I love you, too." He said strongly.

Cloud continued to kiss her. She didn't pull away. This was all that she had been waiting for. He let go of her for a moment. She wished that he didn't. But what he said next made up for everything.

"And Tifa?" He questioned. She nodded back. "You've always, always, been enough."

Tifa smiled, because she knew that everything he had been saying was true.

"Tifa, I promise that I'll never hurt you again!" He said, a little desperately. He wanted her to know this.

"Cloud… Don't you know anything?"

"No… I guess I don't."

"You don't have to promise."

"I don't?"

"Nah, you've already got the other promise to fulfill." Tifa said playfully.

"How am I doing with that?" He replied, half kidding.

"Well… You weren't doing so hot earlier."

"How can I make up for it?" He asked, having a feeling he knew what was coming next.

Tifa laughed and tackled Cloud onto the beach. He smiled and then pinned her down onto the sand. She struggled for a bit before realizing Cloud was no longer laughing. She stopped smiling and looked earnestly up into his eyes. He slowly lowered himself and kissed her again, and again, and again. Finally she stopped him.

"So?" He asked.

"So… You're doing well."

"I aim to please."

"Hey, I have a promise."

"Yeah?"

"Promise me… You'll never leave… Like when you left Nibelheim for Midgar. Promise me it'll never happen again."

"Tifa… I promise."

"Good. I love you." She couldn't get enough of saying it.

"I love you too."

"Now back to business." Tifa laughed. Cloud laughed as well and they continued to roll around in each other's arms on the beach.

**Later**

Tifa and Cloud lay cuddled on the sandy beach, their legs and arms intertwined. Cloud held onto Tifa's hand, feeling her delicate fingers against his. He rubbed her head slowly and listened to her breathing. Tifa listened to Cloud's heartbeat. She felt warm and safe.

"Hey, Tifa?" Cloud asked, with an air of simplicity and intensity.

"What?" She asked back, her voice soft and lazy.

"You know, if I could go back in time to the beginning, last night I would've went for it. I would've wished desperately for everything to be different." Cloud paused.

"Do you still wish that?" Tifa asked breathily.

"No. Never. This is even better."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Cloud reached out for the stars while still holding Tifa's hand. He examined her face in the pale moonlight. "This could've ended up in a million different ways. So many things could have been different… But you know… This is perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me too."

"I think everything is fine now."

"Yeah, it is."

"So we… We can be together." Cloud mumbled. Tifa hummed a small sigh. He looked back at her. "It's okay… right?"

"Always."

As the two lay still together, they felt the cool ocean breeze float down over them. A few birds chirped now and then in the distance. Crickets made themselves evident often. Tifa cuddled into Cloud. Her throat ached, her eyes full. No matter how many times she re-wound and played this in her head, it wasn't as good as the real thing.

She had been waiting all her life. And as pathetic as it sounded, Tifa knew it was worth it. She knew at that time she should've been careful. What if Cloud changed his mind? Tifa looked up into his eyes. He looked at her questioningly. She smiled and shook her head, before tucking her head under his chin. He kissed her forehead gently. She knew she was okay. It was safe. She could go back into the memories, to the promises, and to all the disappointments.

Because when she came out of it, she knew that things would be okay. She could live, she could get through it all. She had him. And he had her. This love was not defined by promises or memories. There was no price.

But the promises she held meant the world to her.

And that would always, always, be enough.

**Fin.**

**A/N: **Please review! I would so appreciate it. I would appreciate any comments on the story. If you wanna see anything written (Final Fantasy VII and on, wise), or have any suggestions, please review and tell me! Oh, and I'm thinking of writing an epilogue, but I'm not sure yet. Review and tell me if you think I should or not.

Thank you so much for reading! You guys are way awesome for reviewing and reading my work. I'm so thankful:D


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